Only Time Will Tell: The 100th Hunger Games
by goldie031
Summary: 96 tributes were sent in; 48 of regular reaping age and 48 between ages 5-11. All of them will come out, but who will come out alive and who will come out in a box? Well, only time will tell.
1. Backstory

**Here is the backstory for these games...**

Peeta was never reaped – but Prim was. Katniss volunteered for Prim, and instead of Peeta, a random, super-awkward boy was reaped and killed in the bloodbath. Most of the major plot events in the Hunger Games still happen, including Rue's death and the mutts. Also, Katniss still wins the Hunger Games.

The card for the 75th Hunger Games read: "As a reminder to the rebels that even the youngest and the oldest played a role in the Dark Days, the only ages eligible for reaping are 19 and 11." Gale was reaped, and Katniss had to mentor him. Gale died in the final 10.

During those games, Peeta introduced himself to Katniss, because he wanted to ease her sorrow. They soon fell in love. Meanwhile, Prim fell in love with a boy named Damien O'Donnel. He was reaped for the 76th Hunger Games – and won.

Then, we meet a little girl named Lilac Laurel-Ember in the 84th Hunger Games. She is just 12 when she is reaped, and somehow manages to win.

The next year, it is time for the reapings for the 85th Hunger Games. And, Laurel's twin, Delilah, is reaped. Lilac was born at 11:57 PM the day before the reapings, and Delilah was born at 12:21 AM the day after. So, Delilah is technically 12 when she is reaped.

In the middle of those Games, Lilac is called to the Capitol for a special assignment. You can read about it, and the result of it, in my story "Rue Returns". What I can say is that Rue, Lilac, and Delilah are all mentors, too. Lilac and Delilah are mentors for 12, but Rue can be a mentor for either.

Now, Katniss is 42 and married to Peeta, and Prim is 38 and engaged to Damien. Katniss and Prim live next door to one another. Delilah and Lilac live in the next two houses. On reaping day, Lilac is 28 and Delilah is 27. Rue is 28, like Lilac, but is in 11 for reaping day (again, read "Rue Returns"for an explanation) and will be in attendance in 12 as a TV screen.

Haymitch is 67 and getting very old. He rarely mentors, and is only mentoring this year because he has to.

**This should clear everything up for anyone who wants to submit a District 12 Tribute...**


	2. Prologue: Quell Announcement

**Here's the Quell announcement. this will be a most interesting games!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of its characters.**

* * *

><p>President Snow walked to the podium. This Quell would be his last Quell, as well as his last Games. He was getting old, and needed to rest.<p>

The crowds hushed in anticipation. President Snow began to speak.

"Citizens of Panem. Welcome to the Reading of the Card for the 100th Hunger Games."

A boy walks out holding a little box with a butterfly on it. The president opens the box and pulls out the card marked with the number "100" on it. He turns teh card over, breaks the seal, takes the card out and begins to read.

" 'Welcome to the 100th Hunger Games, or the first Centenary Games. From this year forth, every 100 years, the Games will have both a good twist and a bad twist, to remind the districts that the Capitol can be both ruthless and merciful..

" "First, each District will be required to send in 8 tributes to the games: 2 boys and 2 girls of regular reaping age, and 2 boys and 2 girls from ages 5-11.

" 'However, the tributes will be split up into groups and assigned to a ship. On each ship will be all of the food, water, and shelter the tributes will need, however, all of the weapons will be in the Cornucopia. If more than one tribute on a ship is left standing, they all win.'

"Wow! Isn't that exciting? These are sure to be quite the Games!"

President Snow walks off the stage, and immediately sinks into a chair, and all that he can think is that he's really getting too old for this.

* * *

><p><strong>So that's the Quell! What do you think?<strong>

**I need 96 tributes, so submit submit submit!**

**-Goldie031**


	3. Another Prologue:  President Emerald

**Hi again!**

**When I realized that there would be 96 tributes, I realized that it would be impossible to do all of the Gamemaker sessions in one day. This will clear up how that will work. Also, this will clear up how the tributes will be divided up into ships.**

**Additionally, There is an important plot twist here! Pay attention!**

* * *

><p>The woman walks to the stage, glowing in the afternoon light. All of Panem is confused. Why is there a woman on stage? Shouldn't President Snow be doing official announcements.<p>

The woman unfolds a piece of paper, and as the audience quiets down, she begins to speak.

"Hello citizens of Panem. My name is Ruby Emerald. Unfortunately, President Snow is feeling a bit... under the weather, so I will be taking over his duties until he recovers. We wish him a... speedy recovery.

"Today, the Gamemakers have asked me to talk a little bit about how the games will work this year. There are a few important finer points that they have asked me to announce.

"First, The Gamemakers have asked me to go over some of the finer points of the week leading up to the games. They realized that, with the Quell twist, it would be impossible to do all of the private training sessions in one day. Here is how the days will go:

"There will be the regular chariot rides and 3 training days. After that is when things change.

"On the 5th day in the capitol, the older kids will have sessions with the Gamemakers. After all of the older kids are done, each team will have a 10-minute strategy meeting. The next day, the older kids will have interview prep with their mentors while the younger kids have their private sessions. The next day, the younger kids will do all of their prep (both stylist prep and mentor prep) and then both will have their interviews on the same day. the games will begin the next day.

"Also, many people have been asking how the tributes will be divided onto the ships. The Gamemakers have provided an answer. No 2 tributes from the same district will be on the same ship, however, siblings must be on the same ship.

"Thank you."

Ruby Emerald turns around and walks off of the stage.

* * *

><p>Ruby is sitting at a table in the President's office. All of a sudden, a little girl in a knee-length purple dress runs up to her. "Hi, Aunt Ruby!"<p>

"Hi there, Violet. What do you need?"

"I have a message for you from the Gamemakers."

"Let me hear it."

Violet looks at the paper in her hand and begins to read.

"Ruby,

"We have received from the districts a list of all of the tributes that have been reaped. In that list, there is at least 1 set of cousins and 1 set of half-siblings. We ask you, as the Interim President of Panem, to make the executive decision on what to do.

"Sincerely, Amethyst Emerald, Head Gamemaker."

Ruby is deep in thought, but, deciding to be merciful, she responds. "Tell the Gamemakers that cousins and half-siblings should be on the same teams, as well as step-siblings."

"I'll go tell them right now," Violet responds energetically.

"Oh, by the way, Violet, if your mom sends a message to me through you, call me President Emerald."

"But you're not President yet!"

"Oh, but I will be."

* * *

><p><strong>So that's how the week before the games will go. Ifwhen I rethink this and realize that it doesn't work, I'll re-update this. Also - and this applies for any of the chapters in the story - if you see any typos, please PM me/review the story!**

**Also, did everyone get the family relations there? If not, here they are. Violet is the 6-year-old daughter of Amethyst Emerald, Head Gamemaker and sister of Ruby Emerald.**

**-Goldie031**


	4. District 1 Reapings: King of the Arena

**Here are the first reapings - District 1. Since I have 8 tributes per district, I'll show 4 of them getting reaped, and 4 for goodbyes in the same chapter. Here goes nothing!**

* * *

><p><span>Goldstar MacQueen POV:<span>

Reaping day. My first one.

Crap.

I wake up to a sunny day. I've never really noticed it before, but it seems to always be sunny on reaping day.

I go downstairs in my pajamas, because I haven't even seen my reaping outfit yet. Even if I had, I wouldn't want to get it dirty.

I put on a fake smile. No one has seen the real me under the friendly, sweet, innocent cover I put on every morning.

My mom is waiting at the table. She spends a lot of money on surgery, so I guess she wants to look blonde, big breasted, big lipped, and tan with no winkles. And I can tell - she's always looking in the mirror.

"Good morning, Goldstar! You look stunning this morning! Did you see? I got you a new stuffed animal and a few new books and toys last night."

"Good morning, Mom! Is Dad home?"

"No, he's away on business."

"Again?"

"You know he earns the money we need! If that's what he has to do to earn it, then so be it."

Yeah, I think, But I wish that he'd pay a little bit of attention to me!

I stomp into the living room. Sometimes I just want to rip my dad to shreds! I think I'll volunteer for the Games - maybe that'll get his attention!

"Goldstar, you really should shower! Your hair just gets so dirty!"

"All right!"

I don't care whether or not my hair is dirty, but I go and take a quick shower to get it overwith.

When I come out of the shower, I put on a fuzzy robe, and go in to the living room. Waiting for me is my reaping dress. It's beautiful!

In front of me is a light yellow sundress with green flowers sewn on, and matching white wedges. Energetically, I slip it over my head, only to find out that it is a little bit loose. Oh well.

When I go back into the kitchen, Mom's looking into her mirror again. "Mom!"

"Oh, Goldstar! You look beautiful! Here. Let me do your hair."

I sit in a chair, and brace myself as Mom begins to brush.

"Uch! Goldstar, how do you get your hair so tangled?"

After 30 minutes of struggling, we finally get my hair brushed and up in a braid. "There you go." Mom hands me her mirror. "Do you like it?"

I look at myself. My blond hair, normally dirty and tangled, is in a beautiful braid, and my blue eyes seem to have gold flecks in them.

"Oh, mom! It's perfect!"

"I'm glad you like it!"

I stand up to hug her. As I wrap my arms around her chest, I smell some sort of flowery perfume. That gives me an idea.

"Hey, Mom? Do we have any yellow flowers growing in our yard?"

"I'm not sure, but you can check. Why do you ask?"

20 minutes later, I'm standing in the 8-10 year old section in the town square. I found the perfect flower - the same shade of light yellow as my dress - washed it off, and stuck it in at the top of my braid.

This year, District 1 has the first reaping. We don't always have the first reaping, but that's just the way they did it this year.

Sugar Lee, my best friend, is on my left. She's really mature for her age, and she actually seems pretty nervous about this. My other friend, Velvet, is on my right. Velvet is just like a puppy dog. She's really sweet, and anything I ask her to do, she listens.

On the stage are our mayor, our escort, and 4 empty chairs, presumably for the mentors. How 4 mentors will handle 8 tributes, I don't know. Also, there is only one ball on stage - a big pink ball.

As the clock strikes 9, our mayor approaches the podium. He tells of the history of Panem - how it came into being, the Dark Days, and the result of them - the Hunger Games. Then, he reads a list of the previous victors of the Hunger Games. As he is doing so, our mentors mount the stage. First are Cashmere and Gloss. I remember my mom telling me about them! They won back-to-back Hunger Games a bunch of years ago, even before I was born.

Next is Vane Kilen. She was a career, and allied with them until the top 8, and then tried to kill the other Careers. She succeeded, except for the D2 male, and he escaped. So, Vane killed the other tributes, then tracked down the D2 male and killed him through the eyes. Nice.

Then is Sparkle. She won in the 78th Games, and is Cashmere and Gloss's little sister.

Last is Josan Lorenx. He's the cockiest mentor in Panem. He's nice, but he always brags.

Then, he introduces our mentor, Lila Louis. She has gold hair and eyes that look like diamonds. She is wearing a silvery dress and super-high heels. As usual, she says, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be forever in your favor!"

Lila approaches the first bowl. "We will start with our younger ladies."

She reaches her hand in and draws the first name. She walks back to the podium, smooths out the paper, and reads the name. "Auden Walters!"

A little girl from the 5-year-old section bursts into tears. She tries to reach for her siblings, but a peacekeeper picks her up and brings her to the stage. The girl, Auden, I'm guessing, is literally trembling. Oh, well.

"Are there any volunteers?"

Cashmere rubs the girl's back, and, when nobody responds, Lila walks over to draw the second name. This time, I know I'll volunteer, just to get my dad's attention.

She reads the name from the second bowl. "Glimmer Lawrence!"

Another five-year-old bursts out crying. But, before she can take a step toward the stage, I yell out, "I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Greick Sheedor POV:<span>

I watch as the little girl makes her way to the stage. Lila says, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"My name is Goldstar McQueen, and I am honored to be a part of the 100th Hunger Games."

Her voice is just overly sweet, and it makes me gag.

As she goes into a little speech, I think, I won't be reaped. But if I was, I won't worry at all! My dad won his games, so I'll win mine! Plus, I start training next year for the games, so that I'll definitely win, if I'm reaped.

"Why don't you go stand over there with Auden. There you go. Now, on to our younger male tributes."

The pink ball is rolled offstage and a blue one is rolled on.

She reaches her hand into the bowl and draws the first name. "Mars Pyrros!"

A little boy, maybe 8 or 9, shakily walks up to the stage. He has shortish blond hair and blue eyes, and his mouth is wide open.

"Any volunteers?"

You could hear a pin drop.

"All right, then! Onto our second tribute!"

She reaches her hand into the bowl again and draws the second name. "Greick Sheedor!"

DRAT!

* * *

><p><span>Sparkle DeFontaine POV:<span>

I watch as the boy makes his way to the stage. He has dirty blond hair and brown eyes. If he were older, I might actually think he was hot!

But all I can think about is my sister. Emerald is a career, and even though she will volunteer this year, she's so weak. I can't let her.

I take a lock of my hair and start to twirl it nervously.

As the boy steps back with the other tributes, the blue ball is rolled off the stage, and another pink one is brought on. "Now for our older girls."

Lila draws the first name. "Kayla Lawrence!"

Before anyone can do anything, a girl runs up to the stage. She's wearing a pair of basketball shorts, running shoes, and a form fitting shirt. Who wears that to reaping day?

"My name is Tyranny Bomber and I volunteer for the 100th hunger Games to continue the tradition of having victors in my family!"

"Well, we're happy to have you. Now, for our other tribute."

She draws the slip and reads the name. "Emerald DeFontaine."

NO! I can't let Emerald go into the games. I know what I have to do.

"I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Isaiah Barnabas POV:<span>

As the girl walks up to the stage, I can't help but notice how beautiful she looks. The copper highlights in her blonde hair compliment her blue eyes amazingly. Her silver dress looks great with the red heels she's wearing.

But I won't care for her when I'm crowned king of the arena.

Yes, that's right. When I heard that there would be 96 tributes in the arena, I knew that that was President Snow's message that I would have to lead them.

This year, I will volunteer.

The final reaping ball, another blue one, is rolled onto the stage. The woman reaches in and pics out the first name. "Lapis Lazuli!"

Before anyone can do anything, a boy from the 18-year-old section walks up onto the stage. He has really dark hair, and brown eyes, and is wearing a blue sweatshirt. "I'm Nyx Heyton, and I will represent District 1 in this year's games."

"Great! Onto our second tribute!"

She reaches her hand in the bowl for the final time. "Onyx Lee!"

"I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Auden Walters POV:<span>

A boy in a red jumpsuit walks up to the stage. He's also wearing a black cape, black cloves and some weird crown on his head. That doesn't do much for his brown hair and brown eyes!

"My name is Isaiah Barnabas, and I will be leader of the arena!"

"All right then," Lila says, "Lets have a round of applause for our tributes!"

Next, the mayor steps back up to the podium and starts to read the long Treaty of Treason. In the audience, though, I can see that many of the mothers are desperately trying to get to their kids, especially mothers with younger kids.

Then, the mayor motions for us to shake hands, which we do, with difficulty. Afterwards comes the anthem of Panem, and as the anthem ends, so does the ceremony.

All 8 of us are led into separate rooms in the Justice Building. First, my family comes into the room.

I have a lot of family. I have 3 brothers - Claudio, who's 23, Laurent, 19, and Antonion, 17 - and four older sisters - Devon, 21, Maya & Mia, 16-year-old twins, and Thalia, 12. But my parents pay the most attention to me!

"Oh, Auden! Please be careful!" my mom says.

"I'll be fine!"

Thalia says, "Will you take a token? Here. Take this locket. It has a picture of all of us in it."

"No, that's stupid. I won't take one."

Maya and Mia say, "Are you sure?" almost in one voice.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Suddenly, the Peacekeepers come in and take my family out. Oh, well. I'll be coming home.

* * *

><p><span>Mars Pyrros POV:<span>

I sit and wait patiently for my visitors. First to come are my parents.

My mom wraps her arms around me in a bear hug."Oh, Mars! I'll miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you, too, mom!"

My dad speaks next. "Mars. Remember what I told you while I was training you. Never underestimate people, and always try to find people's weaknesses. I have faith that you will come home."

"I love you, dad! If I never see you again, I want you to know that I've loved your training methods. And Mom, if I don't come home, have another child, OK?"

"All right, Mars."

Then, all too soon, the Peacekeepers come in, signaling our time is up. I hug my parents for what I suspect to be the last time.

Then I realize - I have no token.

* * *

><p><span>Tyranny Bomber POV:<span>

The first people to come into the room are my family. My mom, Rita, dad, Dred, and my brothers, all 4 of them. Carta, 23, Sean, 22, Nolan, 20, and Grant, 19.

"Tyranny! We are so proud of you," my mom says.

"Lil' sis, I know you'll win!" Grant adds energetically.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Here. I have something for you for your token, Tyranny."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Hold out your wrist."

I do so, and close my eyes. A few seconds later, I open them to see a new tattoo on my wrist. It says, "I am..."

"Wow. Thanks, Dad!"

"Tyranny. Whenever you're worried, or in trouble, just finish the sentence, OK?"

"All right."

Suddenly, a Peacekeeper enters the room, and escorts my family out.

Next, my friend Eric enters. "Hey, Tyranny."

"Hi, Eric. How goes that body building?"

"OK, I guess. I only have 10 lbs. of muscle."

"Wow!"

"Look, just... be careful out there for me, OK?"

"OK. I'll miss you!"

"Me too."

And with that, he leaves, my last taste of home.

* * *

><p><span>Nyx Heyton POV:<span>

I wait in the room as my family enters. Carson, my younger brother, jumps right onto my lap. He's only 5, and he really looks up to me.

"Oh, Nyx, you will come, home, right?"

"Of course, Carson. Why would there be any doubt? After all, I'm... Nyx Heyton, superhero!"

The sound of my mom's loud and annoying laugh fills the room. "Oh, Nyxie, you're so funny! Is there anything you want for a token?"

I roll my eyes.

My dad comes up to me. He trained me personally for the games.

"Nyx. I hope you know that I love you more than anything, and I really hope you come home. I will be missing a piece of my heart if you don't."

"Ill try, Dad."

"Oh, and try to stay away from anyone from D12."

See, my dad was actually an immigrant from 12, but only people in my immediate family know that.

"OK, Dad"

"I love you."

Then, a Peacekeeper is standing in the doorway. We all hug, and the last thing I hear Carson say is, "I love you, Nyx."

Another peacekeeper comes in, and the 8 of us are led out to the train station.

I wonder what the other tributes are bringing for tokens.

Goldstar is fingering a gold ring on her finger with a red stone in the center. It's probably her token.

Isaiah's still wearing that stupid crown. I guess he's bringing it as his token. He's waving to the crowd like a king and even making decrees like a king. That guy is crazy.

Sparkle is standing right next to me. I ask to see her token. It's... a pearl earring. "It was my mom's token when she won her games."

Aha.

Tyranny has her wrist plastered to her forehead. I guess her token is a bracelet or something but when she removes her hand, I see that it's a tattoo. Well, that's different.

The peacekeepers herd us onto the train, and I as look out the window, I watch District 1 go by for the last time.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you think? Like the tributes? Thanks to Wobbe, Esse Quam Videri, Shkittles, ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, frimil, PearyPants44, LoveIsBlindness, and DaughterofLyssa for submitting the D1 tributes. PLEASE KEEP SUBMITTING!<strong>

**-Goldie031**


	5. District 3 Reapings: My Fate is Sealed

**Here are the D3 reapings. I had some trouble with these, so just bear with me. If you submitted a tribute here,, tell me if there's anything I can do to make my writing for him/her better.**

* * *

><p><span>Darren Catalyst POV:<span>

I wake up in my house in Victor's Village.

No, my parents didn't win the Games - they're morphling addicts. My Grandma did. She's kind of sick, though, so I have to be careful.

I get out of bed and walk over to the mirror. My black, curly hair is a mess, but my blue eyes are as bright as ever.

Then I remember what day it is.

Reaping day.

I go to my dresser and pick out an outfit - a blue shirt and my best jeans. Then I go to wake Grandma up.

"Gramma. Time to get up!"

"Oh, hello there, Darren. You look nice today. Why don't you go out and play with Apollo before the reaping?"

"I will."

I go downstairs, only to find my favorite book there. It's called _Stories From the Old Days._ I love reading it. I get so roped into the book, that before I realize it, it's 9:45, and I need to be in the square in 15 minutes.

I run outside only to find Apollo waiting in my yard. His brown, floppy hair is a mess, as always, but I can still see his dark brown eyes. Sometimes I think he looks like a dog. He's wearing a green shirt and jeans.

"Hey, Apollo"

"Hi, Darren!"

"Ready for the reaping?"

"Of course! I won't get reaped. The odds are such that if there are 1,000 slips in the bowl, and I only have 1 slip, there is a... hmm. 1 over 1000, equals 1 divided by 1000, which is .0001, which is .01 percent!"

"Right, Apollo. Whatever you say."

We head over to the square. After signing in with the Peacekeepers, we are directed to an area where all the other little kids are. A pretty girl with light blond hair and hazel eyes comes up to me.

"Hi, I'm Deanna," she says.

I'm paralyzed with shyness. She's so pretty, and I just can't say a word.

"Hi Deanna. I'm Apollo, and this is Darren." I give a timid wave.

All of a sudden, a bell rings, signaling the beginning of the reapings. The 3 of us fall silent.

The order of the reapings is the same every year. First the Mayor's speech, then the introduction of the mentors. This year, the mentors are my grandma, Bolts, and Beetee and Wiress.

Then he introduces Gloss Mera, our escort. She says, as usual, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be forever in your favor!"

Ugh.

Then, she says, "Lets get started with the reapings! First, our younger gentlemen."

She reaches her hand into the closest bowl to her. All I can think is, 1 in 1000, 1 in 1000. She reads the name.

"Darren Catalyst!"

* * *

><p><span>Sira Kawerky POV:<span>

I watch as the boy walks to the stage. He is about to cry. I wish I could make him feel better.

The woman on stage says, "Any volunteers"

No one says anything, so she puts her and in the bowl and picks another name. "Chip Volts!"

Another boy runs onto the stage. "I'm Apollo Mariner, and I volunteer!"

Before the woman can say anything, the boy has stepped back and is holding his friend's hand.

"Ok. Now for our younger ladies."

She reaches her hand into a different bowl and picks out a name. "Deanna Campbell!"

A girl in a pink dress starts to scream. "Mommy! Daddy!"

A big man in a white suit drags her up to the stage. Only then can I see the big bow in her hair. It's pretty.

"Any volunteers?" she asks again.

The woman reaches her hand into the bowl and picks out a name. "Sira Kawerky!"

That's me! I'm a bit confused, but I walk up to the stage.

"Are there any volunteers?"

No one responds.

Why is my family crying? What's going on?

* * *

><p><span>Wreck Swider POV:<span>

We all see the adorable little girl mount the stage. She has such pretty light brown hair and dark blue eyes. I feel so bad for her.

I'm standing next to Zecon, my best friend. We're both really nervous about this. We're both wearing a blue shirt, black pants and dress shoes. Go figure.

Glass says, "Now, time for our older male tributes!"

She reaches her hand into the bowl. "Danny Robin!"

A boy from the 18-year-old section stands there in shock. He lets go of his sister's hand - I guess he's reaching over the boundary between the older & younger kids - and makes his way to the stage. I can clearly see his jet black hair, steel blue eyes, and glasses. He's wearing a white polo shirt.

The woman asks for volunteers, and nobody responds. The boy steps back with the younger kids.

Glass draws the next name. "Wreck Swider!"

What? There must be a mistake! I decide to play it calm, but in reality, I am very worried.

* * *

><p><span>Arabella Rae POV:<span>

I stand tall in my white dress and heels. I won't get reaped, and if I do, I'll fight my way to the top.

Glass approaches the final reaping bowl, and draws the first name. "Candella Anders!"

A brunette with dark brown eyes walks to the stage. She looks shocked in her eyes, but the rest of her looks calm. When she reaches the stage, she pulls down her gray dress, moves her black belt around, and presses on the heel of her right flat with her left foot.

The woman asks for volunteers, and as usual, nobody does. Then, she picks the final name. "Arabella Rae!"

I walk to the stage. I'm trying to remain calm, almolst emotionless, but I'm already really scared.

"Are there any volunteers?"

No.

My fate is sealed.

* * *

><p><span>Danny Robin POV:<span>

The usual post-reaping stuff happens, and all I can think of is how I'm doomed to die. We are led backstage into separate rooms for goodbyes.

First to come in are my parents and sister, Stacy. Stacy runs straight to my lap, but I can feel her bouncing. I had to HOLD HER HAND at the reaping to keep her there!

"Oh, Danny! You will come home, right?" Her face is crestfallen, and she is on the verge of tears. I can't bear to see her like this.

"Of course, Stacy." I try to cheer her up, but like anybody would be, I am worried.

"Danny, I can't believe you're making me take time off of work for this. Having said that, I will miss you, and hope you come back."

"Drew, don't be so mean to Danny. Can't you tell he's scared? I'll miss you so much, Danny."

"Thanks, Mom."

Before I know it, our time together is over. As the peacekeepers escort them out, my two best friends, Carl and Jarid come in.

"Hi guys!"

"Hey, Danny. Boy, was that good luck that you got reaped!"

That's Carl. He's really, really sarcastic, and I hate that, but he & Jarid are my co-workers, so it's convenient.

"Nice sarcasm, Carl! But in all seriousness, Danny, try to get to know a couple of the girls there, ok? Maybe you can hook me up when you get home."

Yup, you guessed it. Jarid's the ladies man.

"Thanks for the advice, guys."

"Any time, Danny. Do you know what you're going to do for your token?" Carl ass.

"Yeah. I have no choice but to bring my glasses."

Yup. My eyes are that bad.

"Good idea, Danny. You can bring **anything** from D3 to the Games, and you pick your glasses."

Before I can make a rude response, the Peacekeepers are taking Carl and Jarid out. Carl's last words are still in my head.

Did I pick the right token?

* * *

><p><span>Deanna "De" Campbell POV:<span>

I find it kind of ironic that the two boys that I met right before the reaping and I are all in the games. What are the odds?

My parents and sister come in first to bid me farewell. Sammie sits right on my lap.

"Oh, Deanna," my mom says, "Be careful."

"Of course. Becase the Capitol doesn't care about our safety!"

Mom reaches her arms around my neck. "Here. Take this necklace as a token. It has an angel on it, and I know the angels will be watching over you in there."

I roll my eyes. But, it is a pretty necklace. It's a silver angel on a chain, and since I don't have any other token options, why not humor my mom.

Dad speaks next. "Deanna, you better not lose," he says gruffly.

"I won't. You know I can't stand losing."

"De. You're my favorite sister, and I'll miss you SO much while you're away."

"Oh, Sammie. You're so cute. I'll miss you to."

Sammie latches onto my stomach. I rub her back, and now I KNOW I'll miss her.

Suddenly, the Peacekeepers are back. I immediately hug Sammie tightly, and before I know it, they've grabbed her from me, and she's gone.

I sit for the rest of the time allotted in silence.

* * *

><p><span>Candella Anders POV:<span>

First, my parents and brother come to visit.

"Oh, Candella! " my mom says. "We'll miss you so much!"

"You better not die. Otherwise, I'll be so lonely!" my little brother, Edlin, says.

It's true. 5 years ago, my big brother, Istu, and sister, Taylia, died in a factory accident. I miss them so much, but I know they're watching over me.

"Be careful, Candella."

"As careful as I can."

"We love you."

Then my parents leave, and my best friend Siena comes in.

"Hi, Arabella! Hi, hi hi!"

She's a bit hyper.

"I'll miss you so much while you're in the games but I'm glad that I didn't get reaped because if I did I wouldn't be able to see you and my family ever again because I know I would die you better not die because I'll miss you way too much and if you died I don't know what I would do without you because I have no other frieds although maybe I can make friends with another co-worker..."

Sometimes I have to tune her out. The Peacekeepers come, and I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

* * *

><p><span>Apollo Mariner POV:<span>

The first to visit me is my brother, Nicoli.

"Oh, Apollo."

"Nicoli. I'll miss you so much!"

"Just don't forget me, OK?

"How could I forget the person who pretty much raised me?'

Yup. My parents died, so Nicoli raised me at the orphanage.

"Apollo. You did the right thing by volunteering for Darren. You didn't want him in there alone. Just be careful for me, ok?"

"All right."

"Here. I want you to take this for your token."

I take the book from Nicoli's hands, and carefully open the cover.

Inside are pictures of my parents, carefully drawn by Nicoli.

"Oh, I love it!"

"This way, you'll always remember where you cane from."

All of a sudden, another peacekeeper is in the doorway. We hug one last time, and then he's gone, and I'm holding his book in my hands.

After the allotted time is up, the 8 of us are led into a car, and driven to the train station.

I sit next to Darren. "What's your token?"

"My grandma's diary from when she was in the Games. Yours?"

"A picture book of my parents that Nicoli drew."

"Nice. Check out Wreck's token."

I look over. Wreck has a sock tied around his ankle. That's odd.

"Hey, look at Arabella," I say.

We look. She's fingering a chain on her neck that I assume is her token. It's simple, but it must have sentimental meaning.

We arrive at the train station, and cameras are everywhere. I grab Darren's hand, and we are led out of the car.

Suddenly, Deanna's on my other side. She whispers in my ear, "No 2 people from the same district can be on the same team unless they are siblings. Truce?"

"Truce."

We link pinkys, and right then I know that, no matter the outcome of the games, I will never forget Deanna.

* * *

><p><strong>So there are our District 3 tributes! What do you think? Thanks to frimil, Bowserboy129, Stop-IBegYou, BloomingRue, DaughterofLyssa, and caitewarren for submitting tributes. <strong>

**By the way, anyone have any ideas on which district I should do next? There will be a poll on my profile...**

**-Goldie031**


	6. District 2 Reapings: All I Need to Know

**Well, here's the next reapings. Sorry it's taken so long - I got really busy, and then had writer's block, and then procrastinated. Only 3 spots left, so submit fast; if you want to submit one, do so now! I hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><span>Whisper Willow POV:<span>

"Lets go, Whisper! Up and atem!"

Ugh. Why does my dad make me get up so early?

"Come on, Whisper. We have to get started. There are still 4 and a half hours until the reapings."

Great. That means it's 6 AM! Exactly what I need to start the day!

"Whisper. Come ON! Don't make me send Zoey up!"

Uh-oh!

A pair of small feet thunders up the stairs, and before I know what's happening, a small body thumps on me, and wraps her arms around my hips.

"Whisper, wakey wakey! You don't want to get Daddy maddy!"

"Fine, Zoey."

Zoey hops down from my bed and runs downstairs.

I slowly ease myself out of bed and slither over to my dresser. Picking a random shirt and pants out of my drawer, I shove on my sneakers and head to the bathroom to brush my hair. It's really pretty - shoulder length, blond and straight, with colored streaks. I love it!

Finally ready, I go downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

Zoey is at the table, eating her cereal, Super Duper Sugary Berries - Now With Marshmallows! And I have no idea why she's so hyper.

Kyra is reading a magazine - wait, that's MY magazine!

"KYRA! WHY ARE YOU READING MY MAGAZINE?"

Kyra throws it down and stomps up to her room. Ugh. 13-year-olds are so annoying.

My dad walks in. "Whisper, you should have been down here 5 minutes ago. And Zoey, how many times have I told you not to have Super Duper Sugary Berries on a day when we are doing training?"

"I don't know. Like 5 billion. But I don't care. They're so yummy. I want the whole box and another one and another one..."

She's literally bouncing in her chair. I'm so glad I train alone.

"Go upstairs, Zoey. Take a break. Relax a little."

"OK OK OK!"

"And now you, Whisper. We will train until 45 minutes before the reaping, at which point you'll get ready for the reaping and your siblings will train for a few minutes, and then we'll head to the town square."

"Fine, Dad." He's such a control freak. See how he has the whole day timed out?

I head upstairs to brush my teeth, and then go to the Training Center, where I am directed to Gym 2.

My Dad is standing there amid station after station of weapons for training. "Ready to get started?"

A few hours later, I have trained in every station in the gym, and I'm worn out. I grab a quart of water and start to chug it down. "Whisper, this year, you're ready to volunteer."

I do a spit-take.

"WHAT?"

"I said, you will volunteer this year!"

"No! I'm not ready! I don't want to!"

"Whisper, you're a great fighter. You'll do fine. You will volunteer. End of story. Plus, your brother volunteered at 16, too, and Kyra will, and so will Zoey."

And with that, he walks out of the gym. Great. My brother died in those games, the 96th Games. I think that Dad just wants a little bit of power.

I walk back home and pick out my reaping outfit - a black sweatshirt and a ruffly skirt. I turn around, and see my combat boots. Perfect.

Then, I sit at my desk, and spend a few minutes writing a poem, to get my mind off of my dad. Poetry calms me. Realizing that I'm running late, I quickly brush out my hair again, and then go downstairs to meet my family.

Kyra is wearing a pretty shirt and jeans with her sneakers, and Zoey is wearing a cute sundress. Zoey throws her arms around my waist. "Whisper?"

"Yes, Zoey?"

"If you get reaped, would you take this as a token?"

She hands me a woven bracelet.

"I made it myself."

"Of course, Zoey. I promise."

We head to the square, and check in. I head to the 16-year-old section, Kyra heads to the 13-year-old section, and Zoey and Dad head to the surrounding area.

Then, my best friend, Sprinkles, runs up to me.

"Hi, Whisper! Hi! Hi! Hi! How are you? Are you excited? Will you volunteer?"

"I don't know, Sprinkles. I just want one more year to find out who I really am."

"But you're a great fighter! You'll do amazingly!"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, as the clocks strikes 10:30, our mayor comes to the stage, and we fall silent.

"Welcome to the reapings for the 100th Hunger Games!"

And then comes the history of Panem. Yada, yada, yada. It's the same boring story every year.

Then, our mentors come onto the stage. First are Brutus and Enobaria. They've mentored for YEARS and they're getting pretty darn old.

Next is a more recent victor, Mesa Amura. She's only 20, and won the games 8 years ago. She is tall, with cutting blue eyes. She's been battle hardened, and I've heard that she's REALLY harsh.

Last is Zareth Cullen. He has a sister named Bella and brother named Edward that both lost the year before. He is one of the nicer mentors in the games.

All four of our mentors sit down in chairs set up for them.

Next, our escort, Lucy LaMerai, comes forward.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds ever be in your favor."

She says it so overly sweetly. I know she just wants a victor.

"Now, lets start with our older ladies."

She draws a name from the bowl.

"Sally Rider!"

"I volunteer!"

A girl with white blond hair, dark brown eyes, and super pale skin runs up to the stage from the eighteens section. She is wearing short black cargo shorts, a navy top, and sneakers. She's short, but not underweight. She's also wearing an expression that shows nothing, like she's feeling nothing.

"Great! What's your name?"

"Acacia Andalu."

"All right. Now for our next tribute!"

She reaches her hand into the bowl again. "Kyra Willow!" ** (A/N: DEDEBUG9, I know that you didn't ask for this, but I thought it would add a nice twist...)**

NO! Not Kyra! No matter how anoying she is, I love her.

My little sister slowly makes her way to the stage. I can't let her go, I can't.

"I volunteer!"

Kyra, just a few steps away, sighs a huge sigh of relief, but all I can think is how good of an opportunity this is for me to find my true self.

* * *

><p><span>Thad Wellington POV:<span>

I watch the girl mount the stage. She's pretty. I like her, and that's all I need to know.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"Whisper Willow."

Lucy goes on and on about how nice it was that Whisper volunteered for Kyra. I'm so bored. I want a challenge sometime.

"Now for our older gentlemen!"

She draws the first name. I finger the bracelet my sister, Shae, made for me when we were younger. That'll be my token.

"Sammy Schlifer!"

"I volunteer!"

I hear another voice mixed with mine. As I make my way to the stage, so does another guy. He has blond hair and blue eyes, and is wearing jeans, and a muscle shirt that he really shouldn't be wearing.

"Ooh! Two volunteers! What are your names?"

"Emmet Westercamp," he says.

"Thad Wellington."

"Great! We have our 2 male tributes!"

Finally! Time for a challenge!

* * *

><p><span>Belle Adore POV:<span>

I find it funny how the boy, Thad, matches the girl, Whisper. Both are wearing black sweatshirts and combat boots, except he has jeans on and she has a ruffly skirt. They look like a couple, and he's looking at her like he's in love. But the girl has a really thin frame. She almost looks undernourished!

But I'm better than them both. When I get into the Games, I'll win! I've trained my whole life!

"Now for our younger ladies!"

Oh no.

She draws a name. "Smash Hatch!"

A girl from the 11s walks to the stage. With her long, black hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin, she almost looks like a ghost! She is wearing a blue dress that flows around her ankles, blue wedges, and a necklace with a shiny black stone. Her face has an expression that looks like she's thinking, this is not supposed to happen!

"Any volunteers?"

No.

"Now for our last lady!"

I finger my headband, and decide to use it as my token if I get reaped. It's deep blue, and really pretty.

She draws another name. "Belle Adore!'

NO! Not me, not me! "Mommy, Daddy! No!"

* * *

><p><span>Barlen Wickeher POV:<span>

That girl looks so sad. I feel bad for her! I love her platinum blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin, plaid dress, and blue headband. She's pretty.

"Now for our young gentlemen."

She draws the first name. "Scott Marx."

"I volunteer!" A boy wearing a blue shirt, black jeans, a leather jacket, and black shoes. With his curly black hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin. He looks a lot like one of the other tributes. I wonder...

"What's your name, son?"

"Crash Hatch."

"Oh, so we have a pair of siblings!"

"We're twins. Me and Smash."

Aha.

Crash backs up, and Smash nudges him in the ribs, with a look that says, why did you do that?

"And, finally, our last tribute!" Parents of kids who were reaped are sobbing, of those who volunteered beaming with pride. Parents of those who were volunteered for are pushing against the rope boundaries, trying to get to their kids, but with no luck.

Lucy approaches the podium with the final name. "Barlen Wickeher!"

Strange. I feel calm.

* * *

><p><span>Crash Hatch POV:<span>

Why did I volunteer?

Because I wan't to prove that I'm better than Smash. That's the only reason.

As the anthem plays, our mayor reads the Treaty of Treason. Then, we are led into rooms behind the stage for goodbyes.

Smash and I are led into separate rooms. First, my parents come in.

"Crash. Why did you volunteer? We both know that Smash was supposed to volunteer at 17, and you were supposed to volunteer at 18."

That's my dad, Stallion. To him, I'm just a pupil. We have no bond. He was really vicious when he won his games, even ripping out some of the tributes' necks!

"Because I wanted to."

"Crash. Since more than 2 tributes can win this year, make sure you and Smash both win."

That's mom. Ember also won her Games, which is partly why they want victors so bad.

"Fine, Mom," I say sarcastically. We all know that Smash and I hate each other. I'll try to kill her the first chance I get.

"Crash, here. I brought something for you!"

My mom brings out my dog, Coal, from behind her back.

"Coal!"

Coal rolls around in my lap. I take off his collar and wrap it around my writs. "There. My token. Mom?"

"Yes, Crash?"

"Before you go, would you please watch Coal for me? As my last wish?"

"Fine."

I hand Coal back, and he whimpers.

The peacekeepers come in, and my parents walk out with another word. I sit in silence until the end of the allotted time.

* * *

><p><span>Emmet Westercamp POV:<span>

First to come in are my parents and siblings. I was surprised that my big sister, Gery, came with my parents. She lives out of the house now.

My little sister, Keya, snuggles up on my lap. I adore her, even more than all of my fans.

"Oh, Emmet. You'd better come home!"

That's my mom. She's the nicest mom in the world!

"Yeah, I'll miss you too much!"

"Now see, honey, this is why I trained you. So you can WIN!"

"Of course, Dad."

"Now, Emmet, make sure you can run like the wind when you get to the Cornucopia to get a lot of weapons and stuff. And PROTECT YOUR TEAM! Allies are the way to victory."

"Of course, Dad."

"I love you, Emmet! I would never wnat to lose you!"

"Don't worry, Keya. I will."

Then, the peacekeepers come in and escort my family out, and a gaggle of girls come in. They're all swooning, and I flirt with each one before the time is up.

* * *

><p><span>Acacia Andalu POV:<span>

First to come in are my parents and identical twin, Tripple.

"Great job, Acacia! you'll definitely be another Andalu victor!"

"Like you, Dad."

"You will avenge Avery's death, just like you followed my orders to volunteer."

"Right, dad."

Tripple whispers in my ear, "Acacia, please come back, sis! You can't leave me alone with them!"

I smile slightly.

"Acacia, honey, try to make friends wiht your allies."

"But I don't get to pick them this year, Mom. The Capitol will!"

"So what? You'll find someone you like. Maybe someone who reminds you of us."

"Of course."

"You'll do fine, honey. Here. I want you to have this."

My mom slips a simple silver ring onto my finger. "This ring used to be Avery's. Keep it with you to remind you who you're fighting for."

"I will."

And then my family leaves.

* * *

><p>Smash Hatch POV:<p>

First to come in are my friends. I guess my parents are visiting Crash first. Save the best for last?

"Smash, are you ready to smash the competition?"

Jaden cracks up. He has red hair and green eyes, and is always so sweet and humble. I like him.

"Smash. You will win."

That's Cannibal. He's really determined and vicious, but I seem to have a calming effect on him. He has sandy, light brown hair and brown eyes.

"Of course I'll win."

"Smash, what will you take for your token?"

"The necklace I'm wearing now."

"You shouldn't!"

"I will."

The necklace is special. Jaden and I found the shiny black stone on it while on a walk. It's really special to me.

"Be careful, Smash."

"I will. I'd miss you guys too much!"

The peacekeepers come in, and escort Jaden and Cannibal out. Then, my parents come in.

"Oh, Smashie!"

My mom wraps her arms around me. I love being the favorite of the twins.

"Please stay alive. For me?'

"I'll try, Mom."

"Oh, and make sure Crash gets home, too."

"OK!"

That's why my parents like me. Because I'm so easygoing. But my parents know Crash and I hate each other and will try to kill each other...

"What are you taking for your token, honey?"

"The necklace, Daddy."

"A noble choice. You have to win and be our victor."

See, that's why I don't like my parents. They're too desperate for a victor. But, I like being their favorite, so I let it go.

We talk a little bit before the peacekeepers come. "Smash, you have to win," my mom says, and then my parents are led out.

At the end of the time allotted, I am led out of the goodbye area into a car with the other 7 tributes. Crash ends up sitting next to me, and I can tell that we are both devising each other's deaths.

When we get to the train station, everyone reacts differently to the cameras. I smile and laugh, and let the cameras catch as much of me as they want. I am smiling laughing, being me!

We are finally led onto the train. As we board, I notice something interesting. Thad taps Whisper on the shoulder and introduces himself. Whisper looks into his eyes, and I swear I can see sparks.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't you just love foreshadowing? Please read and review, and submit those last 3 tributes!<strong>

**Also, thanks to DEDEBUG9, Wobbe, Shkittles, frimil, LoveIsBlindness, and Cloudie Daze for submitting the tributes in this chapter!**

**I'm on break, so expect 2-3 more reapings this week!**

**-Goldie031**


	7. District 4 Reapings: It's Worth A Shot

**So here are the next reapings! In 4, we have not one but two sets of siblings! So exciting! Here we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. Is that not evident by now?**

* * *

><p><span>Bellona "Ona" Adrina POV:<span>

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

WHAM WHAM WHAM!

There. That takes care of that pesky alarm clock.

"Ona! What did you do that for?"

"It annoyed me, Ace."

"Ona, you have to stop injuring everything that annoys you!"

"Right, Ace. come on. Let's go 'play' (wink, wink) outside.

"Ok, Ona."

We both get dressed and brush our hair. I have long, wavy platinum blond hair, while Ace has short, curly platinum blond hair, but we both have the same dark green eyes and tan skin. We're both slim and healthy, but I'm the only one with the freckles. Could it be any more obvious that we're twins?

"Ready, Ona?"

"Ready, Ace."

When we go downstairs, we see our mom and step-dad babying our half-brother, Xavier. Of course, she pays no attention to us as we sneak through the kitchen.

Once outside, we walk around our home in 4. With 3 hours until the reaping, we have time to play.

Suddenly, a little boy runs in our path. He has dark brown hair, the same sea-green eyes that most of our district has, and pale skin.

I grab his collar and pull him back to Ace and me.

"What's your name?"

"T-t-t-toby?"

"Did you block our path?"

"N-n-n-no..."

"Yes you did."

"Whoa, Ona! don't hurt him yet. Chances are he'll be reaped."

"B-b-b-bellona, A-a-acestes, please don't hurt me!"

Yup, those are our real names. Lame, right? So we made up the nicknames "Ona" and "Ace" for eachother, but they're just between us.

"Well, too bad."

The boy's little, well, little is a bad word for it because he's really tall, but anyway, his frame starts to shake.

Suddenly, a really tall guy comes over. I immediately drop him and smile really wide.

The little boy, Toby, runs to the tall guy. "Moss! Thanks for saving me! They were bullying me!"

"Acestes and Bellona. Were you hurting my little brother?"

"No. We were just talking!"

"All right. Toby, you were just over-reacting. They weren't bullying anyone! Come on, Toby. Lets go get ready for the reapings."

And they leave.

Uch. I should have guessed they were siblings. They have the same dark brown hair, sea-green eyes, and pale skin.

"We should get ready too, Ona."

"OK, Ace."

We head back home. When we get there, our mom and step-dad are still babying Xavier. Sometimes I just want to...

Ace drags me to our room and we both pick out our reaping outfits. I pick out a purple velvet dress and matching ribbons for my hair.

As we get dressed, Ace says, "Hey, Ona, do you want to volunteer this year?"

"Why not, Ace? It's an honor, and we've trained for this..."

"Plus, if we win, it'll be so much better for us..."

I check myself in the mirror. Perfect.

When I turn around, Ace is wearing a white shirt and trousers, and no shoes. "You look nice, Ace."

"You too, Ona."

I grab my box from the dresser. It's blue and green, and has a drawing on the top that looks like waves. Checking the false bottom, I see that the poison dart is in place. A perfect token.

We head to the town square. There are two sets of roped-off areas - one for little kids, and one for regular reaping-age kids. Ace and I sign in, and head to our area.

We get there just in time, because right when we get to the section for 10s, our mayor, escort and mentors enter the stage. This year, the mentors are Finnick and Annie - as usual.

First, the mayor makes his annual speech, and then he turns it over to Sam I. Am, our escort. He has blue hair, and wears a green suit with pictures of fish on it. Ich.

"Happy Hunger Games! May the odds EVER be in your favor!" Why does EVERY ESCORT have to say that?

"Lets get started with our younger girls!"

Sam reaches his hand the glass bowl and picks out a name. "Marynna Breck!"

A girl from the 11s with copper hair and greenish-brown eyes walks to the stage, shaking. She's wearing a pretty purple dress and black flats. she's also kind of... bouncing. Odd.

"Marynna?"

The girl nods, still bouncing.

"All right. Now for our next tribute!"

He draws a name. Before he reads it, Ace shoots me a glance. I know what he means: volunteer or else.

Sam opens his mouth to read the name. "I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Toby Darya POV:<span>

I'm so glad Bellona volunteered. She's so mean, and maybe then she'll die in the games.

Sam, the escort, says, "What's your name, sweetie?"

Bellona, trying to look innocent, says, "My name is Bellona Adrina."

"Aren't you so cute? Well, why don't you step back with Marynna and we'll get on with the reapings."

As Bellona steps back, I see Marynna look at her in disgust. Every kid in 4 knows who the Adrina twins are. But if Bellona volunteered, then...

"Now for our younger boys."

Sam reaches a hand into another bowl. "Soard Fisch."

"I volunteer!"

I feel so bad for anyone else going into the arena. With both Adrinas in there, things won't end well.

"All right! Our next tribute is..."

He draws a name. "Toby Darya!"

NO NO NO NO NO! I can't go in, I just can't!

* * *

><p><span>Cassandra Tyme POV:<span>

I guess the odds are in my favor. But I won't take that for granted.

My best friend, Diana Snow, stands next to me. President Snow's her great-uncle, but she's really nice, unlike him.

The little boy, Toby, shakily makes his way to the stage. Boy, he's tall for a kid so little!

"Now for our older ladies!"

Crud. Diana and I grab hands.

Sam grabs the first name. "Rye-Ann Brooke!"

A girl from the 14-year-old section starts to walk to the stage. As she passes, I can clearly see her brown hair and brown eyes. Hmm. That's odd. Most people in 4 have green eyes. Oh, well, she's still tan, and she looks really confused.

She's wearing a yellow dress. I can see her mom sob. I wish my mom was alive. My dad died after hitting his head on a rick, and my mom died by suicide after she lost him. I miss them, and have always wished I had a parent.

"Rye-Ann?" Sam asks.

"I go by Ann."

"OK. Now for our final lady."

He digs his hand into the bowl and draws a name. "Cassandra Tyme!"

No! I drop Diana's hand and walk calmly to the stage, but right now, all I want to do is cry.

* * *

><p>Kole Devon POV:<p>

As the girl walks to the stage, I watch her carefully. She looks pretty in her light blue skirt and shirt, and she has, of course, light brown hair and green eyes. I'm one of the rare people in 4 that doesn't have green eyes; I have grey ones, but I still have dark brown hair. I quickly brush it out of my eyes, and keep watching.

Sam reaches his hand into the bowl. "Isaac Lazer!"

"I volunteer!" An older, taller guy walks up to the stage. "What's your name, sir?"

"Moss Darya."

Oh. He's going in to protect his brother. Nice.

"Now for our final tribute."

As Sam draws the name, I check the snap my leather bracelet around my wrist, which will be my token. Thankfully, it is secure.

"Lax Malcom!"

"I volunteer!" I run up to the stage. "My name's Kole Devon."

All of the other kids in my age group sigh. I'm kind of popular...

"All right, then! Here are our tributes!"

* * *

><p><span>Moss Darya POV:<span>

I has to protect him.

Toby is my only sibling. Losing him would be devastating to me.

After the Treaty of Treason and the anthem, we are led into the justice building. Everyone is led into different rooms, except Toby and I are together, and the Adrina twins are together.

First to come in is my dad. "Boys."

"Hi, Dad."

"I hope you come home. I wish I could spend more time with you."

Dad owns a fish market, so he doesn't get to spend as much time with us as he'd like.

"You too, Daddy. We'll miss you."

"Here. I took some things form the house that I thought you'd like as tokens."

Dad hands me a necklace with shells on it. I recognize it immediately - Toby made it for my 16th birthday.

"It's perfect, Dad!"

Then, Dad hands Toby a simple black chain necklace.

"It's nice. I like it, Dad."

The peacekeepers come in to escort Dad out. Next, my best friend, Brock, comes in. Just as I protect Toby, Brock protects me.

"Moss."

"Brock. I'll miss you so much!"

"Hey, little man!"

Brock ruffles Toby's hair. Toby quickly smooths it out. "Hi, Brock!"

"Moss, listen to me. You know how I protect you?" I nod. "You must protect Toby the same way. Make sure to keep him safe since you are on the same team. Promise me."

"I promise, Brock."

"Look, Moss. I can't help you at all here. I'm powerless. You must take matters into your own hands. OK?"

"All right."

And with that, Brock leaves, and Toby grabs my hand tight.

* * *

><p><span>Acestes "Ace" Adrina POV:<span>

My parents barge in to the room - or, to be more precise, my mom and step-dad. My mom is red as a tomato. "BELLONA AND ACESTES ADRINA! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?"

"Because we wanted to."

"You will get yourselves killed." My step-dad adds.

"Why would you volunteer at age 10? You are so stupid! That's such a stuid move."

As Mom continues yelling at us, and our step-dad keeps muttering how we'll get ourselves killed, Bellona slips a blue-and-green box out of her pocket. I like the drawing on the top. It looks like waves.

"Is that your token, Ona?" I whisper in her ear.

"Yes," she whispers back, "but check this out."

She lifts up the bottom of the box, and I see a poison dart! "If I had guts, I'd stab Mom and 'Dad' with this."

"Ona, you know you'll never be able to get that into the games."

"Hey. It's worth a shot."

Suddenly, we hear footsteps approaching. Ona quickly replaces the bottom and slips the box into her pocket.

And Mom is still yelling at us as she is escorted out.

* * *

><p><span>Marynna Breck POV:<span>

My parents enter first. I am hyper-actively shaking, I can't help it!

"Marynna," my mom says, "Please be careful. If I can sponsor you, I'll send you some sunscreen. I don't want you to get burnt!"

My mother is the epitome of over-protective. "I will, Mom."

My dad walks over. I run to him and give him a huge bear hug. He's so much like a teddy bear, but when I was 3, he looked really intimidating.

"Marynna, do you ahve a token?"

"Yes, it's this glass choker I'm wearing."

As I shake, the choker falls and smashes. "Oops."

"Marynna, try this." Dad hands me a necklace with a gem that looks like a blue water drop attached. "It's beautiful, Dad! Thanks!"

Suddenly, I hear the sound of sobbing from the next room. I look around to try to find the sound. I want to find it! Where is it?

"Marynna. Marynna!"

"Yes, Mom?"

"Just... good luck.'

"Thanks." I hug them, and the peacekeepers escort them out, and my best friend, Joselyn-Ashly Bowinn, in.

"Hey, Marynna."

"Hi, Joselyn!" She sits down next to me and holds my hand.

"Marynna, I don't ahve much time, so I wnated to tell you that I will miss you a lot and I hope you come back. Jut... try to stay calm, OK?"

"OK!"

"I have to go. I love you."

"Bye!"

* * *

><p><span>Rye-Ann "Ann" Brooke POV:<span>

My mom is the first to enter the room. She and I immediately embrace.

"Honey, you can win, right?"

"Right, Mom! I won't leave you alone!"

"Here. Take this necklace. It has your father's ring on it. He'd be so proud if he was here."

My father died in a train crash when I was 6. After that, it was just me & my mom, and has always been that way.

I take the necklace and put it around my neck. It has my dad's ring on it.

I can't even say how great it was to spend those last few minutes with my mom. She is so nice. We talk, laugh, reminisce, and I just am so glad that I got to spend my last few minutes in 4 with her.

When the peacekeepers come to escort her out, I hug her so tight that I never want to let go.

Suddenly, a few random kids from school that I barely know come in. I kind of tune them out; I prefer the peace and quiet.

When everyone is done with their goodbyes, we exit directly to the train station. It looks like Cassandra has been crying. But what really catches my eye is her necklace. It reminds me of...no! It couldn't be! How would she know anyone related to President Snow?

Bellona is making herself look really innocent for the cameras. All of the rest of us from 4 know that she's acting, but the cameras are eating it up.

We are allowed to board the train. Everyone else heads to their rooms, but I stay by one of the windows, and, as the train starts to move, I watch the beaches and oceans of 4 disappear in the distance.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the ending, but I liked it! Anyway, thanks to PearyPants44, Inocencia, Cloudie Daze, Rosiegirl52, and thislittlemockingjay97 for submitting the tributes in this chapter! I only need 1 more, so someone submit him, please! Remember, he should be from D10 and be somewhere between teh ages of 5 and 11.<strong>

**I'll try to get 1 more reapings done this week...**

**-Goldie031**


	8. Authors Note & Interlude: A Predicament

**Hi everyone!**

**Remember the Quell twist? Well, I'm in a predicament with it. But, since you are awesome readers, I will explain my predicament in the form of a chapter.**

* * *

><p>President Ruby Emerald enters the Gamemakers' office. It is deserted.<p>

Good.

Ruby would like to sneak a peek at the plans for the upcoming Hunger Games. But she knows the security system for the Quell plans.

If you look in the black filing cabinet, you see a folder marked "100". If you open it, you get a code for a safe hidden behind a picture of a ship. You must remove that picture and open the code. Then, if you manage to find and open the safe, you see a sticky note with the words, "Check the purple filing cabinet," on it. Upon checking the folder marked "10" in the cabinet, you see another sticky note that says, "Check the folder marked Quarter Quell." The information is located in this folder.

But Ruby knows about this, so she goes straight to the folder marked "Quarter Quell" in the purple filing cabinet.

She takes the folder to the table, and begins to look through it. She is adoring the plans. The mutts are perfect, the arena is nearly done, and all of the tributes are in. (A/N: hint hint)

But then she sees something that really aggravates her.

The teams list has been completed, but the Gamemakers have set up 8 teams of 12. President Emerald was thinking 12 teams of 8.

Ruby takes a deep, deep breath. Now she's in a predicament. She would rather not argue with her sister, especially since Amethyst is the older one, but at the same time, Ruby was the president. Thinking, Ruby decided that it might be a good idea to find a compromise.

* * *

><p><strong>So here's the deal. I have three options for what I can do for teams.<strong>

**1. 8 teams of 12.**

**2. 12 teams of 8.**

**3. 12 teams of 8, but all members on the 2 remaining teams win.**

**What should I do? Please PM me or review with your answer, and I will have a poll on my profile, too.**

**-Goldie031**


	9. District 8 Reapings: I Have No Choice

**Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but...**

**Before I start the D8 reapings, I thought I'd explain a little bit about how the story will work from here. Obviously, I'll finish the reapings IN THE ORDER THAT I GOT THE TRIBUTES! That's why I went 1, 3, 2, 4, 8. After that, the story will go as follows: Chariot rides, 1 day of training, Training scores*, Strategy sessions, interviews, games!**

**While I'm on the subject of the games, I thought I'd go over the bloodbath. When I post the teams list, the names that are not bolded were submitted as bloodbaths. And, as you will see, that number is about 10 percent of the actual number of tributes. And, with 96 tributes, a 10-person bloodbath is disproportionate. So, ****I currently have it set up ****that, ****by the third chapter, ****26 tributes will die, and those 3 chapters will make up day 1, so 26 tributes will die by the end of day one. The tributes that will die in the bloodbath (ie the first Games chapter) will be the ones set up as bloodbaths... ****So I'm working on it! Just please be patient; it's hard to keep track of 96 tributes!**

**By now, I bet you're bored of my lecturing you, so I'll shut up and start the reapings now. 'Bye! See you at the end of the reapings!**

* * *

><p><span>Alex Brown POV:<span>

I wake up to a sunshney day. The sun is shining brightly, which means that I slept late.

I can't help but think how philsosophically incorrect the Games are. I mean, it's one thing killing 18-year-olds, but it's another thing killing 5-year-olds.

"Hi, Alex! Will you play with me? I'm going on a adventure!"

Like my little sister, Holly. She's the sweetest thing in the world! I'm so scared she'll be reaped, because she doesn't even know what the Games are!

"Alex, please get dressed! I leave on my adventure in a few minutes!"

"OK, Holly."

I get dressed quickly and head downstairs. When I get to the breakfast table, I sit down, only to hop back up. "My chair is soaked!"

"So was mine, bro," Lisa, my oldest younger sister, says.

"KENDYLL!"

Our younger brother comes in laughing. "You should have seen the looks on your faces!"

As you can probably tell, Kendyll likes to prank us.

All of a sudden, a shriek comes from the other room! "Alex, Kendyll took my doll and put a big, scary one in its place!"

"Come here, Holly," Lisa says. Holly hops up on her lap and Lisa rubs her back. "Kendyll, it's different pranking us than it is pranking Holly. She's only five!"

"Fine."

"Good morning, kids."

"Hi, Mom and Dad!"

"Do you guys know the agenda for today?"

"Yup. We stay here until the reapings, and then after them, if we're not reaped, we go back here and/or play with our friends."

"Exactly, Alex. Now, we set out clothes for you guys, so get dressed and then help out your siblings."

When I get back to my room. I see a blue top and black trousers. I quickly exit my room to go to Holly's to see if she needs help. Exiting my room, I see that Lisa is wearing a red top with black trousers. Kendyll comes out of his room wearing a green top and black trousers. And, as expected, Holly has a yellow top and black trousers. "We match!" she exclaims.

"Yes, sis, but now we have to see how we look," Lisa says, gently.

We all go to the big mirror in Holly's room. We all have white skin, and are average height and weight, but our hair and eyes are very different. My messy blond hair always covers my blue eyes. Lisa's beautiful brown hair looks great with her green eyes. Kendyll's messy brown hair and brown eyes makes him look like a dog. Holly's blond hair and hazel eyes makes her look almost like a little angel.

"Ready to go?"

"Ready!"

"Lets go!"

We all head to the town square. The Peacekeepers guide us to our individual sections. "Welcome to the reapings for the 100th Hunger Games!"

Before we know it, a hush falls over the crowd as our mayor begins to read.

The reading is boring. ALL of the 5-year-olds are already chatting! It is getting tough to keep them quiet, Holly among them. the mayor realizes this, so he speeds up. Now, our mentors and escort mount the stage.

The mentors are very un-interesting. Cecilia and Woof have mentored for forever! But our escort is a character.

Rumor has it that our escort, Raina Blue, fell on the train on the way to the Capitol last year, and got a bad concussion. I heard that, when they took her to the hospital, they THOUGHT she was ok, but it turned out she wasn't. That made her a bit crazy, so she had herself altercated to look like a rainbow. Don't ask me! I don't know why!

I have NO idea what she'll do to make this different...

"OK, everyone, most escorts would probably draw all of the tributes from one gender, then another. But I'm not a normal escort."

Uh-oh.

"I'm going to draw all 8 names, and then read them out in a random order!"

Oh god.

"So lets get on it!"

Raina draws the name. We are all very, very nervous. I wouldn't be able to live without any of my siblings.

"The first tribute is... Trinity May Belle!"

A little girl from the 11-year-old section with brown, wavy hair, blue eyes, and olive skin walks up to the stage. She is wearing a blue dress that brings out her eyes. She looks a bit... disoriented, but she's trying with all her heart to stay strong.

Trinity steps back next to Cecilia. Cecilia rubs her back, and I know for a fact that one of HER kids is Trinity's age.

"Our next tribute is... Alex Brown!"

WHAT?

* * *

><p><span>Gretchen Winchester POV:<span>

Raina is crazy. Why she isn't reading the names in order, I don't know.

The boy walks onto the stage, with his jaw down to the floor. I'm so sorry for him. A girl from the 16-year-old section starts to cry.

Raina says, "Now for the next name... Holly Brown!"

A girl wearing an identical outfit, from the five-year-old section, walks up to the stage. She looks really confused, and the boy's mouth is even wider now. They're probably siblings...

Raina says, "Now our next tribute is... Gretchen Winchester!"

OK, Gretchen. Put on your poker face and get up there.

* * *

><p><span>Donnie MacDardo POV:<span>

Not Gretchen.

I guess I should have guessed that that would happen. The odds have NEVER been in my favor for ANY of my life!

But she does look pretty in her whimsical lavender dress...

I picked it out myself. Frank told me to. He said it would go great with her brown hair and brown eyes.

Wait... Gretchen HATES purple! Why do I listen to Frank?

20 minutes ago, right before the reapings, I promised Gretchen that, if she was reaped, I'd protect her. And I'll never go back on my word.

"Donnie, it's Frank. Don't volunteer. You'll never make it out alive."

I'm hallucinating again! But this time, I won't listen.

"The fifth tribute is... Max Emillian!"

A boy from the 12s starts sobbing. But he won't have to worry.

"I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Gretchen Winchester POV:<span>

WHY did Donnie volunteer? I know he promised me he'd protect me. But I never thought he'd actually do it.

This is a scene right out of a book. He looks great in his striped blue shirt; better than I look in this stupid purple dress. At least the blue looks decent with his dark brown hair and greenish blue eyes.

Donnie always does the wrong thing. He's kind of different, but that's why I love him.

* * *

><p><span>Lisa Brown POV:<span>

Holly (hic) and Alex (hic) were reaped. I can't believe (hic) it.

As you can probably tell, I'm already sobbing. I can't live with this.

"The sixth tribute is... Jamie Wretherly!"

A boy with dark brown hair and honey brown eyes walks to the stage. He is wearing second-hand clothing - an old shirt that's too big on him and trousers with holes - and looks a bit surprised. But, for some reason, he shrugs, and walks up like he doesn't care... that's so odd!

"The seventh tribute is... Kendyll Brown!"

NO! Kendyll walks up to the stage, a bit confused, like something in the very back of his mind recognizes the thing called the Hunger Games! He's frowning, I fell so bad for him.,

"And our final tribute is... Lisa Brown!"

* * *

><p><span>Kendyll Brown POV:<span>

Lisa starts sobbing out of her mind! I can't believe that all four of us are reaped. The odds are not in our favor.

Why does that sound so familiar?

Now, the mayor reads a long boring document. I don't care! Why is this stupid thing important?

Finally, it's over. We go to random rooms. All four of us - me and my siblings - are led to one room, but everyone else are in separate rooms.

Our parents enter first.

"Guys. We can't believe this happened."

"I know, Mom," Alex says.

"I wonder what the Gamemakers have in store for us; I bet it won't be good," Lisa says.

"Lisa, where are we going?" Holly asks in her sweet little innocent voice.

Our parents exchange a glance. "Holly, you're going on an... adventure"

"Yay! Adventure! Are Lisa, Kendyll, and Alex coming?"

"Yes."

"Are my friends coming?"

"No."

"Aww!"

"Guys," My dad says, "Use these as your tokens." He hands each of us a quarter of a shield. Alex's is blue, Lisa's is red, Holly's is yellow, and mine's green.

"OK, Dad."

"I love you."

And then they're gone.

* * *

><p><span>Jamie Wretherly POV:<span>

My parents and sister enter first.

"Jamie, you know how good it'll be if you, win, right, bro?" my sister, Fiona, says.

"I know. You won't have to take tessarae next year, we won't be so poor, we won't need hand-me-downs..."

"And you'll be alive."

My mom speaks up next. "Jamie, please come back. You're my little boy!"

"We'll all miss you," My dad says.

"Lets go!" a Peacekeeper yells. "If you want to keep what little money you have, get back to work!"

My parents are ushered out, but Fiona stays for a second. "Jamie, if you find a token in the Capitol, use it."

And then Fiona leaves, and Fallon comes in.

"You're so lucky! You can go in to the Games, and you don't even have to volunteer!'

"Who would want to go into the Games?"

"ME! I've dreamed of volunteering! I've trained for a few weeks, and I know I can win."

"Yeah, and move to 1. Nobody EVER volunteers in 8!"

"Not true. Someone did today."

"But there was obviously a reason! I mean, think about it. The way he looked into her eyes..."

"Someone wants to be in love!"

"No, I don't!"

I feel myself turning red.

"Sir, your time is up."

The peacekeeper drags Fallon out.

Great. After I die, Fallon will volunteer at 12 and die too.

* * *

><p><span>Holly Brown POV:<span>

A lot of people come into the pretty room. 2 big kids are by Alex, Lisa has a lot of people around her, Kendyll has 3 boys with him, and I am talking to my friends, Cara, Sonny, Miley and Marie. They're all five, 'cept Marie, who's seven.

"Guess what, guys! I get to go on a adventure!"

"Lucky!" Cara says

"Come back soon!" Sonny says

"Can we go?" Miley asks.

"No," I say

"Be careful," Marie says

Everyone is excited, except Marie, who looks worried. I donnow why. Adventures are fun!

"I get to go ALL over and see SO much cool stuff!"

"Where will you go?" asks Cara.

"I donnow. Lisa hasn't told me yet," I say.

"Well, can you bring us something back?" Marie asks.

"Maybe. I donnow. I'll try to bring back a animal.'

"How will you do that?" Sony asks.

"I'll get a GIGANTIC cage, and feed it a GIGANTIC piece of meat. Then it'll want the meat and I'll TRAP it!"

"Sounds cool," Miley says.

A big guy in a white suit comes in. "All right everyone, time's up!"

My friends hug me, and they leave.

I can't wait to have my adventure!

* * *

><p><span>Trinity May Belle POV:<span>

I twirl my ring around my finger. My dad gave it to me for my 9th birthday. It has an amethyst stone in the middle. It's my last memory of him.

My mom and siblings come in. Paris is 20, so much older than me. She even has a precious little baby girl. I'm just 11. My little sister, Cobalt, is just 6.

"Sissy, I'll miss you so much. Come home, please!"

"I will, Cobalt."

"Trinity, I wouldn't be able to stand losing you. Then I'll have 2 family members gone."

"I'll try, Mom. But remember, my success partly depends on how well I get along with my allies."

"And, mom, remember, Trinity has no control over her allies. Plus, rumor has it that the Head Gamemaker and Interim President are sisters, and that they've been arguing around the clock since Interim President Emerald took over. That may benefit Trinity."

"I'll be fine, Paris. Don't worry. I'll be back to 8 soon enough."

"Trinity, will you take your father's ring as your token/'

"Of course, Mom!"

"Time's up!"

The Peacekeepers drag my family out, and half of my class in school comes in.

See, I'm really, really popular. The result of this is that everyone in school likes me, or at least every girl. We all chat during lunch, with our conversation leading nowhere. That's exactly what happens now.

When the Peacekeepers escort my friends out, I am led to a car which leads us to the train station. When we get to the train station, which is pretty much on the other side of 8, so it takes a while. I see that Lisa is holding Holly, and when we get out of the car, all of the cameramen sigh at this adorable sight.

After we get on the train, everyone is led to their rooms, but I linger outside to watch 8 go by as we head to the Capitol. Suddenly, I hear voices. I duck to the side to eavesdrop... er, listen.

"Gretchen, do you have a token?"

"No, Donnie. My step-father came in in the middle, and my mother had to run. Then, my dad nearly attacked me, and the Peacekeepers had to drag him out, so we didn't get around to finding a token."

Oh, I remember them! The girl got reaped, and the boy volunteered in place of Max. I know Max; his parents and my parents are family friends.

"Here, Gretchen, take mine."

The boy takes a necklace off and gives it to the girl.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You're the only token."

I won't describe what happened next, but what I can say is that it involved a lot of kissing. The gross kind.

I ran.

After dinner, we sit down to watch the reaping recap. As usual, there are a lot of volunteers in the Career districts. Oddly, there are one or two volunteers in Three. Five through Seven are non-descript. **(A/N: I'm not saying much about 5-7, 9-10, and 12 because I haven't done those reapings yet, but I will say a bit about 11...)**

Then it's time for 8. We see all of the Browns get reaped, we watch Donnie lunge forward to volunteer for Max. 9 and 10 are also non-descript. But, then, 11 comes on. I see one girl get reaped. She has blond hair and brown eyes. She bursts into tears and runs to her parents and her brother. I know her, but I can't put her finger on it. Then, I hear her name, Marianne Belle. I can't help but burst into tears.

Lisa notices. "Trinity, what's wrong?"

"Lisa, that's my cousin."

"So what will you do?"

"I have no choice. I have to protect her."

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? I hope you like it. You probably noticed that I used a different order for who I did for what. Until now, I've done a boy and a girl from each age group for the reapings and goodbyes. I had to do it differently here to make it a bit easier for me, though.<strong>

**Thanks to Minute Maid Lemonade, xebla, Sweet 'lil Mockingjay, and moosegirl45 for these tributes!**

**Oh, by the way, remember that asterisk (*) by the words training scores? Well, I'll explain that now. If you submitted a tribute, even a bloodbath, I need a training score for EACH one you submitted! Please send that in.**

**The next reapings will be up any day. It takes me a while to unwind after each reapings, and then get in the mood to do the next one. Plus, with school...**

**-Goldie031**


	10. District 7 Reapings: I Promise

**I'll write my traditional authors note at the end of the chapter. For now, lets just start the reapings!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. Just making sure everyone knows that. ALSO, I don't own a book called The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I don't know if you know the book, but my escort was inspired by one of the characters, and I wanted to make sure that I had no problems.**

* * *

><p><span>Xander Briant POV:<span>

I wake up in my room. It's so sunny!

I quickly run to Aspen's room to say good morning. I love Lila. She's my favorite sibling.

In Aspen's room are my brothers, Ryan, Aspen, and Mellow.

"Good morning, Xander! Someone was a sleepy-head this morning."

"Yes, Ryan, I was REALLY tired. I slept SO late!"

"Xander, are you ready do get dressed up?"

"Yes, Ryan. Take me!"

Ryan takes me into my room. He's 17. Aspen's 12, and Mellow's 14. They're so old.

Ryan helps me into a white shirt and black pants. He combs my blond hair. Then he takes me back to Lila's room, where Aspen, and Mellow are sitting on Aspen's bed.

Aspen and Mellow are wearing the same shirt and pants as me.

"Ready to go, guys?" Mellow asks.

"Yup. Aspen," Mellow says, "make sure Xander stays put in the five-year-old section. The 12-year-old section is right next to it, and if you need to, you can hold his hand over or under the rope."

"Ok." Aspen answers.

"Lets go get dad away from his writing book and go to the town square."

We go downstairs to Dad. He's holding something in his hand and bending over a table.

"Dad," Mellow says, "We have to go to the town square."

"Ok. Let me finish this page."

Ryan grabs Dad's book and closes it. "We have to go or we'll be late."

"Fine."

We go outside, where we see Lila skipping rope with a rope she made herself. She crossed, did a back-flip, and landed on her feet.

Lila's wearing a different outfit than my brothers, since she's a girl. She's wearing a blue blouse that matches her eyes and jeans. Her eyes are pretty. They're blue like mist and shaped like nuts with long eyelashes. She also has long gold hair with dark streaks in it. Lila looks beautiful.

"Lila," Ryan says.

"Hi, Ryan!"

Lila runs up and gives him a hug. Lila loves Ryan.

"Lila, ready? We have to go to the town square."

"Ready. Hi there, Xander!"

I run and hug her. L love Lila!

We all go to the big square where there is a stage. It's HUGE and there are 4 big balls things on it. There are slips of paper in the big round things, too.

Aspen leads me to a special section divided by rope. He goes on one side and I am on the other. He holds my hand across the rope.

A woman goes onto the stage and says, "Welcome to the reaping for the 100th Hunger Games!"

Ooh! Games sound fun!

She reads something really long. Then a guy comes onto the stage. He picks a name out of the first ball. "Colin Villanueva!"

A boy sulks to the stage. He glares at a camera. He has dirty blond hair and sharp blue eyes, and is wearing a blue shirt and pants like mine.

The man picks another name out of the ball. "Xander Briant!"'

Yay! I get to play a game!

* * *

><p><span>Oakline Sint POV:<span>

I feel so bad for the little boy. He's so small and is so clueless. Small like the flower I picked on the way here. For my token, if I get reaped.

It takes a while for him to get to the stage, so I start to look at the mentors.

First is Johanna. Of course. She's been mentoring every year since she won.

Next is Reth, a guy. He won his games when he climbed up a tree when there was a stampede of rhino mutts.

The man, Jonas, reaches his hand into one of the reaping bowls. You know, those bowls would be much more pleasant if they weren't reaping bowls. Maybe they'd be giant gumballs! Or giant snowballs! Or giant bubbles!

Suddenly, I feel my friend, Ellie, nudge me on the shoulder. She's mouthing something to me, but she knows I can't read lips for my life. Finally, she gives up, and signs something to me. You... were... reaped. I am blank, confused. Ellie shoves me forward to the stage. Then it sets in.

Boy, am I glad I'm deaf. Then I couldn't hear myself scream.

* * *

><p><span>Creig Donovan POV:<span>

The girl walks to the stage in a blue dress with a white tie of sorts. It looks ok with the blond hair and blue eyes.

A little midget in my section crosses in front of me. I shove him aside and my gang starts laughing.

"You're a bully," he says.

I ignore him.

The woman draws another name. "Lila Flemings!"

She walks to the stage, determined. She puts her arm around the really little boy. They look alike, but have different last names.

Next, the man picks a name from the third ball. "Aspen Flemings!"

The boy starts crying. He looks terrified! I should volunteer.

Nah.

"I volunteer!"

A boy runs to the stage. He has black hair and green eyes, and is wearing a white t-shirt, pants that go down to the middle of his thigh, and boots.

"What's your name?"

"Eagle Sterling!"

"I volunteer! My name is Creig Donovan and I will win these games!"

* * *

><p><span>Shine Scott POV:<span>

I'm scared.

No, Shine. You are fearless. You will win! Scotts are never scared.

Even since we came here from one 6 years ago, my dad and brother have made me train in secret. They expect nothing less than victory from me.

The boy, Creig, mounts the stage. He has dirty blond hair and blue eyes, and is wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

Jonas draws 2nd-to-last name. I can't help but notice how blue his eyes are. It's scary.

"Danica Redmond!"

When the girl mounts the stage, I can immediately see how she got her name. Her hair is bright red! She also has blue eyes, which look OK with her blue sundress and black boots.

I finger my necklace. On a thin leather strap is a silver pendant. If I could describe the shape, I would, but I can't.

"Lavinia Sterling!"

Onstage, Eagle breaks into tears. But he has no reason to worry.

"I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Eagle Sterling POV:<span>

The girl mounts the stage, looking great in a lime green sundress and black flats. She has reddish-brown hair and green eyes. I'm so glad she saved my sister.

Now there is the required reading of the Treaty of Treason. I ignore it.

We are led to our goodbye rooms. First to come in is my family. Lavinia, my 12-year-old sister, snuggles up to me. So does Aurelia, my 10-year-old sister. Alexzus, my 20-year-old brother, obviously doesn't snuggle up to me, but he sits across from me.

"Eagle, please come back," Aurelia says.

"But..."

"What, Lavinia?"

"Don't kill the girl that volunteered for me. Please."

"I promise."

Alexzus clears his throat. "Here, Eagle. This used to be Grandpa's. Grandpa gave it to Dad, and he wanted me to give it to you."

I carefully take it and slide it into my pocket.

"You remember Mom and Dad, right, Eagle?"

"A bit."

"I don't!" Aurelia announces.

"Aurelia, do you remember how they died?"

"No. Tell me, Eagle!"

"Well, one day, 7 years ago, our parents were working in the forest. You were 3, Aurelia, Lavinia was 5, I was 9, and Alexzus was 15. Anyway, Our parents were chopping down a tree. What they failed to realize is that there was another, larger tree leaning on the one they were chopping down. As soon as the original tree fell, the larger one crushed anyone under it, including our parents."

"And Aspen's Mom," Lavinia puts in.

"The Aspen who I volunteered for?"

"Yes. He's in my year in school."

"That's how I got to be your caretaker," Alexzus adds.

Suddenly, the Peacekeepers come in. Just before they shut the door, Aurelia yells, "Be careful, Eagle!"

Next, my girlfriend, Vienna Thorne, comes in. We've been boyfriend and girlfriend for years.

"Eagle, please come back."

"I'll try, Vienna."

"You can win!"

"I only have a shot. But it's a shot."

"These games are horrible. Taking you away from me."

"What if a 5-year-old was reaped? I'd feel bad for them. The Games are horrid."

We embrace and kiss.

Then the Peacekeepers take her out, the taste of her lemon lip balm still in my mouth.

* * *

><p>Danica Redmond POV:<p>

My parents come in first.

"Danica. Remember how Johanna won her Games?" my Dad asks.

"Yeah. She played it weak and then exposed her true self later on."

"Right, honey."

"So... be like her?"

"Yes. Bingo."

"But the way she was actually is my true self."

"So? You can kill like she did if someone hurts someone you love. We've seen you hurt someone when they get you mad. And we haven't liked it."

Yup. The last time I hurt someone, my parents had to pay a HUGE doctor's bill!

"But, Mom, half of my success depends on my allies. And I don't always get along with other people..."

"You'll be fine. Just get an ax. Here, take my wedding ring for a token."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It'll come back when you do."

I carefully slide the ring onto my ring finger.

"I love you."

Then the Peacekeepers escort them out.

Next, Roger comes in. I don't even know why he's still my friend. He's a year younger than me, and still picks his nose. Ugh.

"Danica, come back, please."

"I'll try, Roger."

"You will!"

Then he starts picking his nose. Ich.

I tune him out by now. If I win, I'm getting another friend.

* * *

><p><span>Colin Villanueva POV:<span>

My parents come in first.

"Will you come home, Colin?"

"Nirgh."

"What is with you, Colin? You're always in a bad mood."

"Nirgh."

"Do you want a token?"

"Don't need one."

"Bye."

My parents leave. I love being alone. **(A/N: There will be more of Colin later.)**

* * *

><p><span>Lila Flemings POV:<span>

First to come in are my family. Ryan sits right in between me and Xander.

"Lila," my dad says, "just like you brought Xander to us 3 years ago, you have to bring him back to us."

Oh, I remember that.

Cue dramatic flashback.

_I was walking in 7, on a Sunday, right after a snowstorm. Suddenly, I saw a little boy sitting in the snow, crying, playing with a rope. I bent down to help him._

_"What's your name?"_

_"X-x-x-xander."_

_At that point, I felt so bad for him that I took him to my house. When he was warm, he told us that he was from 10. His uncle got in trouble for killing a cow. So, they ran to 7. His uncle had just died. So, we adopted Xander as a brother, and he's lived with us since._

Xander doesn't remember this at all! I'm glad, too. We'll tell him when he gets older.

"Promise you'll bring him back."

"I promise."

Ryan clears his throat. He's my favorite brother. "Lila, I want you to have this."

Ryan takes the chain off of his neck. "Here, have this as your token."

"Really?"

"Really."

I put it on mine. The chain is simply silver, nothing on it. But Ryan is my favorite brother, and it means the world to me.

"What about Xander?" Mellow asks.

"Here," I say. "He can have my anklet."

I take it off and hand it to Xander, who immediately puts it on. He looks at it like it's the best thing in the world.

The Peacekeepers then come in, taking my family out. Xander curls up on my lap.

At the end of the allotted time, we are led to a car. The ride to the train station is very quick.

At the train station, I hold Xander's hand, and he holds on tight, until we board the train.

All 8 of us sit on chairs arranged in a circle. One kid looks really grumpy. He's sitting next to Xander. Xander says, "Hi-hi! You look sad. I'm Xander, and I'll make you happier!"

The boy punches Xander. "I hate cheery kids."

Xander bursts into tears, making both me and one of the older boys look at him. I recognize the boy; he volunteered for Aspen!

"Why did you do that?" I ask. "He's only 5."

He punches me. "I also hate girls."

The older boy comes over. "You have to stop doing that."

"You're a *****." **(A/N: I would NEVER say that in real life...)**

I hate this kid.

The older boy sits in between us and the annoying kid. "I'm Eagle. If you need anything, let me know."

"OK. Thanks. And thanks for volunteering for Aspen. It would break my dad's heart to lose three kids."

Eagle smiles.

* * *

><p><strong>So here is is... finally!<strong>

**Sorry about this. I was really busy, and then FF went down and then...**

**I lost my notebook.**

**Now this might not seem like a big deal. But in this notebook are the descriptions of ALL 96 TRIBUTES in the story! So, once I found it, it got better...**

**Anyway, now it's up, and I'm sure another one will be up within 2 weeks.**

**I NEED MORE TRAINING SCORES! Unless you are DEDEBUG9, CharmyXcream14, Esse Quam Videri/Trouilefou, frimil, Fuzzycat901, Minute Maid Lemonade, moosegirl45, Rosiegirl52, Shkittles, Sweet 'lil Mockingjay, or xebla, please send me your tributes training scores.**

**Thanks to Bowserboy129, Sweet 'lil Mockingjay, keeponrockin'inthefreeworld, Cloudie Daze, oohfriedrice, willbo, and CharmyXcream14 for submitting the tributes in this chapter.**

**-Goldie031**


	11. Interlude: Moving, Part 1

**Hi Everyone! We are now officially half-way through the reapings! YAy!**

**Now, I'm going to introduce the other non-tribute family that we are going to focus on. The little girl whose POV this chapter will be on was originally submitted as a tribute, but all of the girl spots were full. But, when I read her form, I liked her so much that I got this idea. Thanks to Inocencia for submitting this adorable little girl. So, without further adieu, I introduce you to Elodie.**

* * *

><p><span>Elodie Kelck POV:<span>

We get home from the ceremony. I don't know why they called all of those names. I wonder where they're going.

We go to our big round table for lunch. I sit next to Aaron. He's 16. My other brother, Toni, is 12, and Cadee, my sister, is 7.

Mom clears her throat. "We have a big announcement to make. Your father got a promotion and we are moving to the Capitol."

Aaron smiles. "Does this mean we won't be able to be reaped?"

"We think so."

Toni smiles too.

"The bad news," Dad adds, "is that we are leaving tomorrow via hovercraft, so we need to start to pack now."

"Will we take our furniture?" Cadee asks.

"Yes. The moving men will take it onto the hovercraft tomorrow."

Mom says, "Aaron, why don't you help Elodie pack, and Toni, you can help Cadee."

Aaron and Toni nod.

"Ready? Go!"

Aaron and I run up to my room. We all have our own room, and so do our parents.

I love it. It's dark ocean blue, my favorite color. I have a canopy bed, art table, a wardrobe, and a dresser.

"OK, Elodie, lets get started."

It takes a while, but after about 2 1/2 hours, I am all packed. Aaron and I are sitting on my floor, and he shows me what he left out.

"OK, Elodie, here's what you have. PJs for tonight, an outfit for tomorrow, your toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, and your puppy."

"What about my sheets?"

"We'll leave them on the bed. The moving men are taking it, but we have to take down the canopy."

"Can you reach?"

"Like this?"

Aaron reaches up and takes down the purple canopy. It's a bit darker than my sheets, but it's still pretty. It has butterflies on it. Aaron folds it up and puts it in the suitcase.

"Bye-bye canopy!"

"All right. You're all packed. Now I'll go pack."

"Aaron, wait!"

"What, Elodie?"

"I'm scared."

"For what?"

"To move. I'll have no friends. I don't wanna leave my house! I don't wanna leave 8!"

"Elodie, it'll be so much better for us. Daddy will be an adviser to the President of the WHOLE country!"

"Wow!"

"And Mommy will be a stylist. She'll design pretty outfits."

"Like she does here."

"Yes. Like she does here. And I have something special for you."

Aaron takes something out of his pocket. He puts it around my neck. It feels cold. When I look at it, it's a silver chain with a silver rose on it.

"I love it!"

I give Aaron a HUGE hug.

"You're welcome, El."

"DINNER!"

Aaron and I run downstairs and sit at the table. "All packed, El?" Mom asks.

"Yup!"

"We're having dinner early tonight, Mom," Aaron says.

"We're getting up really early tomorrow, and we wanted to have a family dinner, so we decided to have dinner early."

"OK."

Toni and Cadee come running downstairs. "I'm packed!"

"Great!"

Dinner is roast beef, mashed potatoes, and peas. We sit and talk around the table about the Capitol. Then, I go upstairs to get ready for bed. I take off my checkered sorts and green t-shirt and put on my light blue nightgown. My parents come upstairs to tuck me in.

"Now, Elodie, have a really good sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

"I will, Mommy! Good night!"

Mommy gives me a kiss, turns off my light, and leaves the room.

I quickly fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you think about Little Miss Elodie? Do you like her? Do you not like her? We'll see more of her later on. She'll be really involved with another family...<strong>

**-Goldie031**


	12. District 5 Reapings: Scared Of Me

**So, here we go on the D5 reapings! Before I do so, though, I want to point something out. I accidentally messed up one of the names of the tributes. On the tribute list, she was listed as LILY Evans, but it turns out her name is LUCY Evans. ****Oops. ****I've corrected it, and you'll see her as Lucy for the rest of the story.**

**Actually, I'm glad her name is Lucy, not Lily. If it was Lily, I'd have to put a disclaimer for Harry Potter as well as Hunger Games, which I own neither. No offense.**

**Anyway, now that we have that sorted out, we can get to the reapings. 'Bye!**

* * *

><p><span>Len Supin POV:<span>

I wake up on a sunny day. Enough time to play with my robots!

Oh, no! Dr. Robato took over the city. Now he's running around it really quickly to create a force-field! And Lizzie, my friend, is stuck in the city!

But here comes SUPER ROBOT to save the day! He runs super-duper fast and breaks the force-field! Lizzie is saved! All of the citizens are cheering. Yay Super Robot!

My mom suddenly comes in. "Len, it's time to get ready for the reapings."

"ok good morning mom how are you im good im scared but ill be fine."

"Len, you need to talk less fast. Now, here, let me help you get ready."

Mom tries to comb down my normally very spiky blond hair. Then, she takes my glasses off, and cleans them. "Lenny, your eyes are so wide and pretty."

"Thanks, Mommy!"

She puts my glasses back on. Mom's right. My eyes are really wide, even without my glasses.

Then, Mom helps me into dark blue pants, a light blue shirt, and a dark blue jacket.

"Now, lets go, hon."

I slip Super Robot into my pocket. I want to show him to my friends.

Mom and I go to the town square. She signs me in and leads me to a huge roped off section. I stand next to Lizzie, who's 6, Rory, who's 8, and Polo, who's 7.

A man comes on stage. He says a LONG speech. I keep jumping, I can't help it. He's boring.

Then a woman comes on stage. I think her name is Lyla. She's scary. A really strict face, she looks so scary. AAAA!

Next a weird woman comes up. She has blue hair, green skin, and is wearing a red dress.

Then, the woman picks a name out of a bowl. I hope it's not me. I don't want to leave here!

The crazy woman reads the name. "Len Supin."

"NO," I scream. "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY!"

I try to run to her, but some big guys in white suits take me up to the stage. I don't want to leave! I kick and scream but they still take me up.

* * *

><p><span>Andala Chayne POV:<span>

I watch the little boy. He looks about 6. I feel bad. Screaming, yelling...

Our escort, Light Rae, draws another name. "Grazz Lithman!"

"I volunteer!"

A little boy comes up in a perfectly ironed dress shirt and perfectly pressed pants. Both are white. He has long gold curls and big blue eyes with long eyelashes. His skin color is what I can only describe as porcelain. He almost looks like an angel.

"What is your name, little boy?"

"My name is Cyei All, sir. That kid was from my orphanage, sir. I couldn't let him go to the Games, sir."

"Aaw! Isn't he cute?'

Everyone sighs.

I wish I could be happy like him. I hate people, and he eats them up!

I finger the coin in the pocket of my skirt. I found it on the way to the reapings. Maybe it'll be lucky.

Light pulls out the next name. I can't help but think of a quote that an ancient woman named Oprah Winfrey once said, "I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity."

"Lucy Evans!"

A little girl walks to the stage. She looks about... 9, maybe? Anyway, she has darkish-red hair that looks as if it has highlights. Suddenly, a cloud covers the sun. Now her hair looks auburn! Her eyes are blue, and she's wearing a pink dress with white sleeves.

I wish I was as happy as she looks like she could be, but she looks really scared right now, and it looks like she's trying to hold it in.

I figure that, next, a final younger girl will be reaped. Oh, god.

"Andala Chayne."

One word comes to mind right now

Shock.

* * *

><p><span>Haemon Nightshade POV:<span>

That girl looks OK. She has blond hair and hazel eyes, and is wearing a white shirt and yellow skirt.

I will never ally with her. I'll never trust her. I have no friends and don't know my family.

So what?

I have a clear 3-meter circle around me in the 18s. I don't care about any of them, and they are scared of me.

Light picks a name out of bowl 3. Obviously, this is older boys. "Cain Mohen!"

A boy from the 17's eyes widen and he breaths in sharply. He walks straight to the stage and stares straight ahead in shock. I see him as he passes by. He has black hair, and dark brown eyes, and is wearing a green shirt and jeans.

I have nothing to do. Nothing here in 5 is worth it. I need to find something worth it to do.

Maybe the blood of the Games might be fun. I like red and flowing liquids. I have a necklace shaped like a fang with blood inside. It has 2 bats, one on either side of the fang.

"Yonae Wechseleler!"

"I volunteer!"

* * *

><p><span>Syeira Laviah POV:<span>

The boy walks to the stage. He has black hair and violet eyes and is tan... wait, VIOLET? I've never seen anyone with violet eyes! I heard about a woman in ancient times named Elizabeth Taylor who had those, but...

That was in ancient times! I've seen people in the Capitol have those, like our last escort, but never in a district!

Anyway, the boy is wearing a black shirt and grey trousers. Light asks his name, and he responds, "Haemon Nightshade."

Further proof that this guy is weird.

The only person I have is my friend, Jason, who's a blacksmith, and my age. My father died, and my mother is mentally ill. I barely ever see her, but I love Jason. I kind of apprentice with him.

Light picks yet another name. "Glarity Lace!"

What kind of name is that for a girl? Either way, we quickly here a girl cry, "I volunteer!"

She is running from the 16s section. She has light brown hair with light blond streaks, and ocean blue eyes. She's wearing a blue blouse with leggings. For some reason she looks like Dorothy.

"I'm Astrid Evans."

Lucy, the little girl, clings on to Astrid's waist. I guess Lucy's relieved that Astrid is there to help.

I finger my necklace. It has a ruby on it, and it was the last thing my dad gave me before he died.

Light picks the final name from the girl's bowl.

"Syeira Laviah!"

* * *

><p><span>Lucy Evans POV:<span>

When I see the girl, one word comes to mind.

Stone.

She is kind of calm, but her face looks like a stone. Poker face.

Next is the Treaty of Treason and the anthem. Oh, god, I hate this. It just takes SO LONG.

Finally, we are led to our rooms for goodbyes. Astrid and I are led to different rooms, and I'd rather not explain why.

First to come in are my mother and step-dad. Again, I'd rather not explain that part.

My step-dad is nice. He buys me lots of toys. But it's just not the same.

Mom hugs me first. "Oh, Lulu!"

My step-dad then carefully hugs me. "I will miss you so much, Lucy."

"I'll miss you guys too. But I'll have someone to protect me. Astrid."

"Lucy, I miss her a little bit. Tell her I say hi."

"I'd love to meet her someday," my step-dad says.

"Maybe, when we win, we can either live in the same house or live next door to each other!"

"Maybe, Lulu."

My step-dad puts his hand into his pocket. "Here, Lucy, I bought you something special."

He pulls out a pin shaped like a butterfly. It has gems with different shades of blue.

"Oh, it's beautiful!"

"I knew you'd love it."

He hugs me again.

"Lucy, we have one more thing we want to tell you. I'm pregnant." **(A/N: DeathAngel80, let me know what you want the baby's name to be and if you want it to be a boy or a girl.)**

"What?"

"You will have a new half-brother or sister!"

"And Astrid will too, right?"

"Right."

"Yay!"

Then, the Peacekeepers escort my family out.

I like friends. Friends are fun to be around. I have a lot of friends here. They all come in, and we laugh and talk.

Unfortunately, they have to leave.

* * *

><p><span>Cain Mohen POV:<span>

First to come in are my parents. I have horribly parents. My father, Dent, always criticizes me. My mother, Moira, is normally cheerful, but very broken, and sometimes breaks down in tears.

This was caused by my sister, Amandalee. She used to be beautiful, charming, and so pretty. But then, she became sickly and pale, and her hair fell out. I wish the Mayor had listened to me and saved her, but she died after just a month.

"I'm proud of you, son," my father says in his consistently gruff voice.

"Cain, honey, I hope you come home. I don't want to be left with no kids."

My mom pulls me into a huge hug. I will miss her so much.

"Where are you going again?'

Uh-oh.

The look on my dad's face mirrors mine. When this happens, we know that there will be a breakdown.

"Son, before we leave, you know I will miss you and will always be proud, whatever happens."

"Just keep Mom safe."

Then, Mom breaks down crying and screaming, throwing a tantrum like a little girl. The Peacekeepers barge in, and take my parents out.

Next Jaspert and Maylee come in.

"Cain, show them up. Show them you're more than a piece in the Games.," Jaspert says, before looking around at the walls. "I never noticed how white white was."

We hate the Capitol. Can you tell?

Maylee, the calmer one, says, "Cain, do what you can to survive."

She takes a slip out of her pocket and hands it to me. I recognize the handwriting instantly; it's her's! She loves to write, especially poetry.

"Read it, Cain. I wrote it as part of a larger poem."

The slip says, "This elliptical photosynthesis; my heart cannot compute. But this is not the end."

"I love it, Maylee."

The Peacekeepers, unfortunately, pick that moment to come in and take them out.

* * *

><p><span>Cyei All POV:<span>

Masks.

A simple word.

The bane of my existence.

On the outside, I'm perfect. Perfect scores on all my tests, polite sweet, quiet, neat and mature. No whining, no fits, and I always hold open doors. Plus, I call adults "sir" and "ma'am".

See what I mean?

The truth is, I love blood.

I torture animals. I fantasize about killing. And I can lie.

Oh, I can't wait to get into the Games.

I live at the community home in 8. My caretaker there comes in.

"Cyei, you are the most perfect child in the orphanage. I will miss you. I must get back to the other children, but before I do so, I wanted to give you this."

He hands me a sheet of smiley face stickers.

"Thank you, sir!"

I give him a huge, warm hug. "I'll miss you."

Then he leaves. I find myself observing the smiley face stickers.

Boy, I can't help but think how ironic these stickers will be when I murder someone.

* * *

><p><span>Astrid Evans POV:<span>

I think it is now time to break the fourth wall.

You are probably wondering, what is is with Lucy and my family?

I'd better explain.

See, when Lucy was 3, my parents got a divorce. They were so mad that they are now on opposite ends of 5.

So, then, our mother re-married. To our step-dad. But, my dad has custody of me. I see Lucy twice a year, once on each of our birthdays. But now we get to spend at least a week together, for better or for worse. And my dad remarried to my step-mom, who (ironically) was originally married to my step-dad.

Funny how these things work out.

Now, my dad and step-mom come in.

"Astrid."

"Dad."

We hug. then, I carefully hug my step-mom. We were never that close. I was always closer to Dad.

"Astrid, will you promise me one thing?'

"Yes, dad. What?"

"I always miss Lucy. Please protect her and bring her home."

"I will, Dad."

"Now, remember, Astrid," my step-mom adds, "I've only known you for a few years, but I know you're smart and creative. Use that!"

"I will. Thanks."

Then, they leave, and my friends come in.

Led by Dyna, I have a group of 6 or 7 friends. They all try to talk to me at the same time, but it is Dyna who gets everyone quiet and starts to speak.

"Astrid, you have always been an amazing friend. You are kind and sensitive. When the first of us reached reaping age, we pooled our money and got this bracelet, a bracelet with all of our names on it. We've never had to use it. Take it to remember home."

I take it carefully and slip it on. It's pretty. It's a charm bracelet, with one charm for each of us, and our names engraved on the back.

Then, I hug each person in turn, and they have to leave.

Now, what should happen is we should be boarding the train.

What's going on?

"Tributes, we have a little problem. The train has broken down. It may be a few minutes, so we will be letting you mingle."

As soon as he says those words, Lucy shoots into my room like a bullet, straight for my lap.

"Astrid, will you protect me?"

"Of course, Lucy."

"Oh, and I have news. Mom's pregnant."

"Which means another brother or sister."

"I know. Technically, a half-sibling."

A little boy knocks on the door. "Can I stay with the two of you?"

"Sure!" Lucy exclaims.

He sits next to me. "I'm Len."

"I'm Astrid, and this is Lucy."

"Hi!" Lucy sticks in.

"I saw something interesting in the hallway," Len shakily says. After the 5 seconds it takes me to process his words, I reply, "What did you see?"

"Well, on a bench, there were a man and a woman. The mad had brown hair and hazel eyes and the woman had auburn hair and blue eyes."

Lucy and I exchange a glance. Our dad has brown hair and hazel eyes and our mom has auburn hair and blue eyes.

"They were talking. He said, '...can't believe you're really pregnant.'

" 'I know,' she replied, 'Remember when we were taking care of Lulu together?'

" 'Yeah, I miss those days,' he said.

" 'I never really stopped loving you,' she said.

" 'Me neither,' he said.

" 'Did you tell Astrid that I was having a baby?' she asked.

" 'No, I forgot. Did you tell Lulu?' he said.

" 'Yup. Most likely Lulu will tell Astrid sometime or another.' she said.

" 'They know who the mother is," he said.

" 'But wait until they find out the father.' she said.

"Then he kissed her on the cheek and they went their separate ways."

Lucy and I have been glancing at each other this whole time. What's going on with our parents?

"Hello, tributes. We have fixed the train. Please exit the rooms you are in and walk to the left."

Len, Lucy, and I obey. I like Len. He's energetic, but really sweet.

When we get to the train, We are quickly shepherded on, leaving the cameras a total of 6 seconds to get a glance at us. This is probably because we're running late.

Once we're all on-board, the train steams off. We are all in the main room. I decide to take a look at some of the other tributes.

Haemon seems weird to me. He isn't talking to anyone, and radiates the feeling of cold.

Andala seems to be thinking. She is in thought, maybe in her own world.

Syeira looks like she's thinking about home. Most of us are probably doing that. I see a tiny little bit of anger in her eyes.

Cain seems mad. He seems like one of those people that wants to get back at someone.

And, of course, Cyei is an angel. So overly perfect. I can see Syeira eyeing him, like something's off.

As the train chugs by, I think about all the different tributes in our district.

Boy, these will be really interesting games.

* * *

><p><strong>So, here's D5! What do you think?<strong>

**Now, I have a few things you need.**

**1. TRAINING SCORES! Since the last time I updated with a reaping, I got the following training scores: Akitsuki Akira, Bowserboy129, carmencielle, Gamemaker Allie, Inocencia, LoveIsBlindness, oohfriedrice, and thislittlemockingjay97. If you submitted training scores, but have not seen your name on either of the list, let me know.**

**2. I need help. The title of my story is boring me. Esse Quam Videri/Trouilefou always has different awesome titles. If anyone has ideas, let me know. **

**There was something else, but I can't remember. I'll post that when I remember what I was going to say.**

**Thanks to Jayfish, MysteryGirl246, -Death Angel80-, willbo, CharmyXcream14, and Stop-IBegYou for submitting the tributes in this chapter. DeathAngel80, let me know how you want me to go about the twists I threw at Lucy and Astrid.**

**That's all for now! I am getting immediately started on the next reaping.**

**-Goldie031**


	13. District 12 Reapings: My Life's Complete

**Next reapings, coming up! Here are our lovely tributes from 12. Lets see who can look back and see who can find the things I changed in the past few chapters! Also, I may have added something to your tribute, like the age of a sibling or a reaping outfit, it it wasn't mentioned.**

**OH! Before I go, I want to warn you, some of this chapter won't make sense unless you read my other story, "Rue Returns," or what I have of that story.**

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. And also, I don't own Peanuts comics. Someone didn't give me appearance for a character on the form, so I used creative ****license, thought about the name, and came up with this.**

* * *

><p><span>Alava Devlin <span>POV:

It's reaping day.

I guess I should be used to it, considering this is my fourth. My sister, Abbe, is just 11, so this is her first reapings. I know she's scared. I know that she'll have one reapings extra.

As a matter of fact, this kind of reminds me of Katniss and Prim. Katniss was 4 years older than her sister when Prim was reaped. Uh-oh!

Well, Katniss was 16, and I'm 15, so we shouldn't have any problems. Right?

Dad comes in and shakes Abbe awake. In 12, we have to be at the reaping on time. People are pretty serious after one of our last peacekeepers was switched to another district. At least, that's what I've heard.

"Lav, honey, when she gets up, make sure she gets dressed, OK?"

"OK, Dad."

Abbe finally gets up, sleepily, and we go to our one mirror. As you could probably guess, we live in the Seam. When our mother died, our dad had to make the solo income, so it was really hard. But we tried. We have a small house, and barely any belongings.

We make it by.

Abbe and I look nearly identical. Black hair, caramel-brown eyes, olive skin. The one thing that sets us apart is the fact that I'm already 5 foot 9.

"Alava, you look scared."

"Well, it's reaping day, Abbe. Who wouldn't be?"

"Come on, cheer up!"

And she tickles me right in my tickle spot. We fall to the floor, giggling and laughing.

Suddenly, Dad walks in. It must have been awkward to see that mass of girls on the floor.

"Gilrs..."

"All right. Abbe, come on, lets get ready. Here, we'll wear our matching dresses!"

We pull out the two pink dresses we have in our wardrobe. They're exactly the same, but very simple. Just... a dress! But we've been saving them for forever.

I then grab my jingly bracelet. Karissa gave it to me for my birthday. It realy means a lot to me.

"Dad, I'm going to go get some fresh air, OK?"

"OK, Lav."

I step outside, breathing in the morning air, when Karissa runs over. Karissa is absolutely beautiful. She's merchant class, and has long, flowing blond hair and glistening blue eyes. Sometimes, she acts really stuck up, but she's mostly nice.

"Hi, Alava! Are you ready for today?"

"Kind of, Karissa. I'm worried I"ll get reaped."

"You won't!"

"Yeah, but you won't either! You have no tessarae!"

"Oh." She rubs my back. "You'll be fine. Come on."

Karissa takes me to her house, which is big for 12. We go to a special room. It has no windows, and looks like a meadow with a pond. The pond is an actual pond, but it feels more like a bathtub.

We sit and talk for an hour or two, until her father calls, "Girls, reaping in half a hour!"

We quickly shove on our shoes and go down to the town square.

When we get there, Abbe runs up to me. "Karissa, I'm scared!"

"You'll be fine. Plus, you have no tessarae."

I wouldn't let her.

Any tessarae younger kids took would still be added on. So, if Abbe took 3 tessarae this year, she would automatically have 4 entries next year, assuming she didn't take out any tessarae next year.

Make sense?

It does to me.

I finally get to the 15's. Karissa is in the 14's, right behind me.

Our mayor, Mayor Undersee, takes the stage. Mayor Undersee's daughter, Madge, is the same age as Katniss. She is in the merchant class, as well.

Mayor Undersee reads his speech. It tells the history of Panem, etc., etc.

Then, the mentors come up. Of course, there are Haymitch, Katniss and Damien. For some reason, Lilac, Delilah, and the screen with Rue's face on it are also there. Usually only 2 people mentor from the 6 available mentors. I guess they need extra mentors because of the number of tributes. I'm guessing that Haymitch is only mentoring because he has to, because he's in a wheelchair, as he's 67.

Although, I feel bad for Rue. I'm guessing that she'll be mentoring for both Eleven and Twelve this year, which means she has to keep track of 16 tributes. Oh gosh.

Next, our escort comes in. That's odd. Effie isn't there! Effie has been our escort for years! Our mentors all look confused. Nobody knows who this is. She has white-blond hair and is wearing a blue dress. For someone from the Capitol, she looks oddly familiar.

"My name is Ellessa Trinket."

The entire square seems to say, OH!

"My mother, Effie, has retired, so I will be the new escort for District 12. So, why not get started! Ladies first... oh, wait, OLDER ladies first!"

Crud.

Ellessa reaches her hand into a bowl. "Helen Wood!"

"I volunteer!" yells a girl from the 17-year-old section. A path immediately clears. The girl takes 3 steps, pauses, and then walks up again to the stage. She has long, dirty blond hair with split ends and vibrant green eyes, and is tan with freckles. She wears a tattered grey sweatshirt and tattered old faded blue jeans, yet she still looks so pretty.

"What's your name?"

"Brandi Hahn."

"Why don't you step right back there... great. Now for our second tribute."

I can immediately see that Ellessa is a lot calmer than Effie. She has a very soft voice and is very polite to the tributes. Even from my spot in the 15's, I can see that she has no nail polish on and no altercations.

She draws the other name, but for some reason, there is a flash of silver. I wonder why.

"Alava Devlin!"

I hate the Capitol.

* * *

><p><span>Neil Xaroff POV:<span>

As Alava goes up to the stage, I just barely catch a glimpse of her face when she gets up there. She looks scared, but something in her eyes say that she's really prepared.

Ellessa motions Alava slightly back, so that she's in line with Brandi. Karissa, from my age group, is crying.

"OK, now our older boys."

Ellessa reaches her hand into the second bowl, drawing a name. "Bolden Tain!"

Oh, I know Bolden! He's in my age group! He walks stiffly to the stage, not looking at anyone. That's odd, because he usually looks at all of the hot girls.

Bolden has black hair and grey eyes, and is wearing black jeans and a grey shirt. I'm surprised we're not related, actually. We have the same hair and eyes, but he has pale skin and I have dark skin.

Bolden ends up standing next to Brandi. Now he's looking at her...

Ellessa quickly draws the fourth name. "Neil Xaroff!"

Now I'm scared.

* * *

><p><span>Song Pine POV:<span>

I watch, quietly, as the boy takes the stage. I am holding on to Robin's hand. We're twins. I'd never be able to live without him, and he'd never be able to live without me. Both of us pray we won't be reaped.

I find myself oddly calmed by Ellessa. She has this soothing voice, it almost makes me want to fall asleep.

But that would be embarrassing.

As Ellessa walks to the third bowl, I can't help but notice how perfectly the dress flows around her ankles. Like a wave.

She draws a name from the younger girls' bowl. Don't let it be me. Don't let it be me!

"Sadie Wood!"

A girl from the elevens looks scared, frantically looking around. Onstage, Brandi puts her head in her hands.

The girl, Sadie, has short, red hair, and misty grey eyes, and is really pale. She's wearing a green tank top and dark blue jeans that look new, as well as sneakers.

Ellessa draws the final girls name. Robin's hand clenches mine.

"Song Pine!"

* * *

><p><span>Robin Pine POV:<span>

She's frozen. My little sister is frozen.

Well, she's not quite my LITTLE sister. More like my twin sister.

So, my twin sister is frozen. I carefully push her up there, casually. Once she gets there, I look at her with an expression that says, "I'll be there."

I take out a half a coin from my jeans pocket. Before the reapings, Song and I found it. She has the other half. I'll never be complete without that other half.

It's now time for the younger boys. I cannot at all let Song go into the Games alone.

"Mason Samuel Kent!"

A younger boy from the 5s starts crying, and attaches himself to his dad. The peacekeepers take him and carry him onto the stage.

I watch her on the stage. She is beautiful, at least in my eyes. Sandy brown hair, halfway down her back and gray eyes.

He has curly dark brown hair and really light clear blue eyes, with freckles.

She's wearing a "white" dress, but it looks brown from when she slipped in the dirt on her way here.

He's wearing jeans with a hole in the knee, a dirty grey t-shirt, and worn green and black sneakers.

Wait. HE?

Crud! I didn't volunteer! Song is going to murder me.

Ellessa reads the name, but I don't pay attention to it.

"I VOLUNTEER!"

* * *

><p><span>Bolden Tain POV:<span>

The boy stands up boldly and walks to the stage from the 8s. He has the same sandy brown hair and grey eyes. He's wearing old jeans and a white shirt. It's impossible to not tell that they're twins!

Ellessa then steps back, almost happy to let the mayor do his thing. I love the way her dress lays, it's so pretty.

Then there's all the boring stuff, like the Treaty of Treason and the anthem. Finally, it's time for goodbyes.

First to come into my room are my parents and sister, Bell. She's 13.

"Bolden," she says, "even though I despise you, would you make sure that you return to our humble dwelling?'

"Sure, Bell."

Bell thinks she's smart, so she tries to use a lot of big words.

My parents give me hugs. They work endlessly. Sometimes, I don't see them at all in a day!

"Come home, please, Bolden. We won't be the same without you."

Then they have to leave. I know that I'll come home. Looking at girls will never get me killed.

Next, Rick comes in. He has brown hair and grey eyes. He thinks he's so smart.

"Hey, B."

"Hi, Rick."

"Listen, be careful in there. Don't get yourself killed."

"I'll be fine. I'll run directly to the Cornucopia and try to get a weapon."

"You are an idiot. You NEVER run straight to the Cornucopia. It'll get you killed."

"I'll be fine."

"Look, just get the numbers of a few girls, OK?"

"Right! Then we can get married to them when I get home!"

Then the peacekeepers come in again. I'll miss him a bit...

Nah.

* * *

><p><span>Sadie Wood POV:<span>

First, my family comes in. Jordan, who's 13, is very happy and bubbly, but Ruby, who's just 10, is like Mom. She thinks what Helen did was stupid.

Helen's 18, and is getting married to Jake Tae in a few weeks. Jake came in too.

Mom doesn't like that Helen is getting married. But Dad is proud of her. He likes that she found her guy.

Jordan hugs me. "Sadie, will you come back?"

"I hope so."

Then, Ruby gives me a hug. She says, "At least you didn't volunteer."

"Why would I?"

Mom hugs me very tightly. The four of us are always going to be close to her, no matter what. Even if they make silly decisions.

Dad comes up next. He gives me a hug in his warm embrace. He's always been very helpful.

Last, Helen embraces me. Then she looks me in the eye; her dark blue into my misty grey.

"Sadie, here's the deal. I am going with Jakie to Brandi after this, and I have idea. I'll ask her to protect you. Would you like this?"

"Yes, but... wouldn't that get awkward?"

She looks at me. I know that, for once, I'm right. Jake and Brandi are exes. I have no idea how well - how badly - this will end up.

The little sister of a boy's girlfriend and his ex as allies.

Right.

But wait...

Who would I rather protect me: someone unknown, or someone who is at least relatively familiar.

"Ok, tell her. Please."

"OK, I will. Here."

Helen hands me a plastic flower clip. The flower is green.

"I love it!"

Suddenly, the Peacekeepers come in to take my family out.

We hug one last time.

Then, my friends come in. Sally and Fred.

Sally and I are absolute best friends. We do EVERYTHING together. She has blond hair and is nearly always wearing a pink dress.

Fed is like the brother I don't have. He's sweet, kind, and caring. But sometimes he looks at me oddly.

Sally hugs me. "Oh, Sadie, I'll miss you so much."

"Me, too," Fred adds. "I hope you come home."

As a whole, the three of us are trying to ignore this whole Hunger Games thing. We talk like it's a regular day, while we are sitting in a room with velvet pillows.

The Peacekeepers come in again. This time, they don't bring anyone else in.

* * *

><p><span>Mason Samuel Kent POV:<span>

Of course, my family comes in. My dad, Indianna, and mom, Darian, are pretty young, 27 and 26, respectively. And then there's my brother, Wyatt, who's just 2 months. Mom carefully puts him on my lap.

"Hey there, little guy," I say, as to not wake him up. "I hope you vaguely remember me."

I've heard people say that I'm smart for my age.

Dad pokes me on one of my many freckles across my nose. "Mason, you are small and smart. Think about it and use those things wisely."

"I will, dad!"

Then Mom hugs me in her warm hug. She immediately sits back down. She was a little winded after Wyatt's birth, and, well...

From outside, I could hear her scream.

Suddenly, in my hands, Wyatt wakes up. I can see his deep, deep brown eyes. The epitome of innocence.

But when babies wake up...

"WAAAAAHHHHHH"

...they cry.

The Peacekeepers run in and take my family out.

Next, Charlotte, Devin, and Zink came in. Charlotte and Devin are 5 and Zink is 6.

"Hi, Mason."

"Hey, M."

"Oh, Mason!"

Guess who said what.

Charlotte snuggles up next to me. She is the sweetest thing. I can't put my finger on how I fell about her... oh, yeah. Crush.

Devin is bouncing a basketball on his knee. He's kind of the sporty type.

Zink pushes his glasses up on is nose. He looks smart, but he is really on the bottom of his class.

"Mason, here. Take this."

Charlotte takes a pebble out of her pocket and hands it to me. Oh, I remember this pebble! Zink, Charlotte and I found it yesterday on a walk. It's a perfect circle.

"For your token. To remind you of Zink and I."

"What about me?" Devin asks angrily.

"Here," Zink suggests, "press your finger on the stone. Then your fingerprint will be on it!"

Devin nods, and presses his pointer on the stone. Then, they hand the stone to me. I put it in my pocket.

"Mason, if you don't come home..." Charlotte starts.

"We'll never be the same." Zink finishes.

Suddenly, the peacekeepers come in. "Devin, lets go, kddo."

"OK, Dad. Come on, guys."

Devin pats me on the back.

Zink rubs my shoulders.

And then...

Charlotte gives me a kiss on the cheek.

My life's complete.

* * *

><p><span>Brandi Hahn POV:<span>

My brothers come in first.

Dad is dead; he died when I was 3. I barely remember him.

Mom is an Avox; she was taken to the Capitol when I was 10.

So I live with my brothers. Tyler, the emotional one, is 24, Rick, the strong one, is 20, and Bob, the alcoholic, is 18.

Bob staggers in and collapses. I roll my eyes.

Tyler sits next to me. "Brandi, please come back."

"Yes, I'll never forgive myself," Rick says.

"Yeah, don't leave me alone with these jokers," Tyler whispers in my ear. I crack a smile.

Rick eyes him.

Suddenly, Bob speaks up. "Here, Brandi."

He hands me a bottle cap. Carved in it are the initials TRB.

"Tyler, Rick, and Bob. Thanks!"

Bob hugs me, but his scent of alcohol nearly knocks me out.

Apparently, the Peacekeepers can smell it too, so they escort my brothers out.

The, Jake and Helen come in. Jake is my ex.

"Brandi!"

"Oh, Jake!"

Lets just say I still kind of like Jake.

"Hi, Brandi."

"Hey, Helen."

"Brandi, will you do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Protect Sadie to the best of your ability. Please, please, please!"

"I promise. Here."

"What is it?"

"A letter."

That's what I actually say. What I want to say is, a letter apologizes for everything. But I'm too scared.

Helen and I hug. I hope we can still be friends if I come out alive.

Suddenly, they leave. Then, we are led out to the car. Sadie sits next to me, and I rub her back.

When we get to the train, we board quickly. Suddenly, I realize something.

If we go to the Capitol, there will be Avoxes tehr.

My mother is an Avox.

I will see my mother.

* * *

><p><strong>So, there you have it! Thanks to frimil, CharmyXcream14, tootsiepop104, Fuzzycat901, and ZigZag5747 for submitting the tributes in this chapter!<strong>

**I have a little problem. I accidentally did something wrong, so I deleted a chapter that I wasn't supposed to! Does anyone know what was in the chapter, "Another Author's Note?" 50 sponsor points to whoever does!**

**Also, here are today's sponsor questions! There may/may not be the same amount of questions each day, depending on how I feel.**

**Question 1**

**Category: Hunger Games Book**

**Number of Points: 10**

**How old is Prim in the books?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Hunger Games Movie**

**Number of Points: 30**

**Name 3 actors featured in the upcoming movie. (10 points per actor)**

**Question 3**

**Category: Yours Truly!**

**Number of Points: 40**

**What is my favorite color?**

**One more thing:**

**TRAINING SCORES! Since the last chapter, I've gotten NO new training scores! Please get them to me ASAP.**

**Oh, and I want to explain something.**

**Lets say I post a chapter called "Blue". After posting "Blue", I get training scores from Hewey and Dewey. So, when i post the next chapter, "Red", I say that, since the last chapter, I got training scores from Hewey and Dewey. Then, I get Louie's training scores. So, at the end of the next chapter, "Green", I say that, since the last chapter, I got Louie's training scores, but I still have Hewey and Dewey's training scores.**

**Just clearing that up.**

**Anyway, I promise that the next chapter - another interlude - will be up within 2 weeks.**

**-Goldie031**


	14. Interlude: Family Matters

**So, here is our next interlude! In this chapter, you will meet the rest of Amethyst Emerald's children. Then, at the end of the chapter, I will remind you of the Emerald family relations and who is who's kid.**

**Here are the answers to the sponsor questions from last chapter:**

**1. 12**

**2. Any 3 actors from the movie is fine.**

**3. Yellow. Nobody got that one right! **

**These questions are now void. Any answers to these questions don't count from this point forward.**

* * *

><p>Amethyst and Ruby Emerald were poring over the tribute files. Occupying the third seat was Lavender, Amethyst's 12-year-old daughter, and the only Emerald kid who would actually be useful to help her mother out. Responsible and mature, Lavender has gotten one altercation. She has a purple swirl on each wrist.<p>

"Lav-Lav, what do you think of these tributes?" Amethyst asks.

"Well, I think that we have some very, um... interesting tributes."

Ruby nods. "Yes, Lavender. Good noticing. What else do you notice about these tributes?"

"We have quite a few sets of siblings. I think there are 8 or 9."

"MOM!"

9-year Lapis, Amethyst's son, storms into the room.

"What, Lapis?" Amethyst asks exasperatedly.

"Cobalt took my soccer ball."

3-year-old Cobalt toddles in. He innocently looks up at his mother.

"What did you do, Cobalt?"

"Played with Lapis' ball."

"Why?"

"It was rolling and I chased it."

Amethyst nods.

"Come on, mom, we nee to finish looking over these tribute forms."

"Mother, where's my play dress?" Violet adds to the chaos.

Amethyst steps out of the room. Sometimes having 4 kids can be a hassle.

* * *

><p><strong>Time for the family tree. Amethyst and Ruby are sisters. So far, we only know Amethyst's kids: 12-year-old Lavender, 9-year-old Lapis, 6-year-old Violet and 3-year-old Cobalt.<strong>

**So, I'm really glad I've gotten such a good response to my sponsor point questions. Usually, I won't put a question at the end of an interlude, but I decided to for this one. But just one question, OK?**

**Category: Sports**

**Number of Points: 10 per part of the question**

**Question: Who are/were the 2 teams in Super Bowl 46, who was ahead at halftime, and by how many points?**

**So, I expect the next reapings to be up in 2 weeks or less. Trust me, these updates will be so much easier and faster after the reapings.**

**-Goldie031**


	15. District 6 Reapings: I Can Do This

**So, here is the next reapings! We are powering through these! I hope to be done with them by the end of February!**

**The answer to the sponsor point question at the end of the last chapter is: **

**The Patriots were leading the Giants 10-9 at halftime of Super Bowl 46. That question is now void. Any answers to that question won't be counted.**

**Now, there is a VERY important Author's Note at the end of the chapter. It will explain how the rest of the story will work. Pretty please read it.  
><strong>

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. I hate doing disclaimers. I promise that, later in the story, the disclaimers will be more interesting.**

* * *

><p><span>Janael "Nellie" Smythe POV:<span>

I wake up in my little house. Rachle, my 8-year-old little sister, sleeps in the other bed with Melodiey, the 24-year-old protector of our family. I wish she would sleep in mine.

I sit up and think about my family. To put it in the words of the escorts, the odds are not in out favor.

My parents were killed by peacekeepers a few years ago because they were sneaking extra food home to us, because we are all underweight. So, Melodiey became our families' provider. We have a hard life, but it's nice to spend it with my sisters.

Little Rachle stirs, and wakes up. She crawls over to me, and we cuddle for a bit. Then, Melodiey wakes up, and we get ready.

The three of us look similar but different. I have pale blond, shoulder-length, choppily cut hair. Mel has chest-length pale blond hair, and Rach has light brown hair that is nearly blond. Rach and I have green eyes, but Mel has brown eyes. Rach and I are pale, tiny, and look sickly and underweight, Mel has tan skin and is average height.

"Lets get ready, girls. We don't have a lot of time until the reapings."

I study my closet until I pick something. A white knee-length skirt, a grey shirt, and white sandals. Cute!

Melodiey helps Rachele get ready. Rach is so fragile and tiny, she needs a lot of help.

"Nellie?"

"Yes, Rach?"

"I want a hug."

I open my arms, and she runs in. I can't help but think about how warm her hug is even though she is so tiny.

"Nellie, come here," Mel says.

"What is it?'

"Here, I want you to have this ring. It was mom's."

I look at it. It has a fake ruby in the middle. And there's a line around the edge. I need to get that ruby off!

Once I do, after a lot of hard work, I see a heart engraved in the metal.

"Thanks, Mel. I love it!"

I give her a huge hug. She smiles back warmly.

Mel says, "OK, girls, lets go to the reaping now."

We get out the door, and immediately see the Deans. We live next door to each other. Leia and Rach are around the same age, and I am exactly the same age as Fallen. It works pretty well. Our parents were friends, until ours were killed. I shyly wave, and Leia cowers behind Fallen's legs.

Leia looks very cute in a simple brown dress. It looks good with her brown hair and brown eyes. Fallen is wearing a suit, which also looks good with his brown hair and brown eyes.

Finally, we get to the square. Rach and Leia sign in first, and head to the giant section for the younger kids. Then, Fallen and I sign in. We head to our section. We wave to everyone, and then fall silent as our mayor takes the stage.

One of the girls in our section tenses up. Right, she's the mayor's daughter. I carefully, lightly, pat her back.

There's all of the required stuff, like the history of Panem. Finally, we get to see our mentors. First, Sydnee Leigh. She has chest-length dark brown hair and blue eyes. She won her games by using the "attack and run away" strategy.

Next, Gigi Jefferson. She is absolutely clueless. She can't keep track of herself and work, much less 2 tributes, or even 8.

So, since we have two female mentors, we have a male escort. Seleazen Larker has white, sparkly hair, pink eyes, gems in his eyebrows, and blue skin with yellow stripes.

"Hey! So, it's, like time for the reapings, again, huh?"

If I had to pick one adjective to describe him, it would be girly.

"OK, so, let's, like, get started! How about, with our older girls?"

Oh, gosh. Every girl takes a deep breath.

Seleazen picks a name. "Janael Smythe!"

* * *

><p><span>Micajah "Cage" Newton POV<span>

**(A/N: This POV will be very grammatically incorrect in following with his personality.)**

What do they call it?

A scared crackdown?

Yes. That's what the girl hads. She eyes one of the big white suits with a person in it. If kills could look.

Noone is with me here in this pen. I don't know why.

The wacko guy on the stage puts his hand in the big round thing and picks a name.

"Riley Tour!"

The girl with the airplane black hair with one red strands and bluey eyes goes to the front. She is wearing a black pants with red shirt and fighter jacket. She seems shockeded, then scareded, then maded. She's trying to stoped it, but isn't doing it.

I take my socks out of my pocket. They're my only pair!

Then, the man-lady picks another name. Wait...

I know! This is a TV show that I can be on! I have to go!

"I wanna go!"

* * *

><p><span>Fallen Dean POV:<span>

This guy is weird.

He is wearing a torn black shirt, dirty blue jeans, and a green military jacket, and he has brown hair and brown eyes.

And he volunteered.

He's now hopping around the stage singing, "I'm Cage Newton! I get to act on TV!"

What a weirdo.

But, I'm getting nervous.

If you look at the kids who have been reaped so far, they've all been 16.

Riley's 16. Nellie's 16. Micajah is 16.

If the pattern continues, I could be reaped.

Eeh. It'll be fine.

Seleazen looks weirded out, and wants to just get on with it. He picks another name.

"Fallen Dean!"

I walk to the stage. I can do this.

Seleazen looks like he just wants to finish this. So, he says, "OK, how about we do our younger boys next?"

I can do this.

He looks at the reaping ball, and then looks confused.

For some reason, there is just one more reaping ball on stage. Seleazen is handed a note.

" 'Unfortunately, one reaping ball was broken in transit. As a result, we have all of the slips for the younger kids in here. Pink slips for the girls, and blue slips for the boys.' Well, that makes sense! Lets get started!"

I finger the rock in my pocket, shaped like a heart. Leia got it for me when she was 5. She can't go!

I can do this.

He draws the first name, a blue slip. "Ty Leowne!"

An 11-year-old's face falls. He looks numb. A peacekeeper pats him on the shoulder, and he walks to the stage as if he's in a daze. He has pale, dirty blond hair, bluish green eyes, and slightly broken glasses. He is very pale with freckles. He's wearing dirty torn khakis and a dirty plain black t-shirt.

Seleazen picks out another name, a pink slip now. I hold my breath.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

"Renee Leowne!" **(A/N: Boy, is it helpful when your tributes have siblings so you don't have to make up names of people who are volunteered for!)**

"...no, no, no, no, NO NO NO! I VOLUNTEER!"

Wait.

DID LEIA JUST VOLUNTEER?

* * *

><p><span>Shirly Tranner POV:<span>

OK, the boy on stage looks really scared.

The girl runs up, straight to her brother. He looks a bit annoyed, but he rubs her back.

Seleazen says, "Aww! How cute! A brother and sister! Well, how about our next tribute, then?"

Seleazen reaches hand in and picks a blue slip. I wonder if it is intentional that he's alternating or what.

"Wesley Goode!"

A 6-year-old starts throwing a temper tantrum. He has brown, shaggy hair that nearly covers his eyes, spring green eyes, and is pale, with freckles. He's wearing black jeans and a white button-down shirt.

Seleazen picks the final name, a blue slip. He drops it on the stage and grabs a pink slip. "Shirly Tranner!"

Strange.

For the first time ever, I feel sad.

* * *

><p><span>Riley Tour POV:<span>

The 10-year-old girl with the black hair and brown eyes approaches the stage. I'm standing up there, nervous, but ready to let my fierceness show.

All of the things that happen after the reaping happen. Finally, it's time for goodbyes.

My dad comes in, and I immediately run to hug him.

"Riley, make sure to come back. Otherwise, I'll have nobody.'

"I know, Dad. I'll miss you so much. Do you have any advice for me?"

"All I can say is, you're smart. Use that! You are great with puzzles and traps, and are one of the smartest people in our district. You know your survival skills and traps, just brush up on it. And, when you trap someone, kill them with a knife, not a spear."

"Got it."

"Also, stay away from the bigger tributes. They could snap your neck in one second, and so fast that you don't even know you're going to die before yo're dead."

"Way to stay positive, Dad."

"Also, remember, that the terrain of the arena could be anything..."

"But," I cut in, "the quell twist involves ships! That means there has to be water. However, water could be anywhere. It could be really hot or really cold or in between. Plus, there has to be a lot of water. But, the Gamemakers wouldn't make it so easy for us to get water. The water will probably have a poison of some sort in it."

"See what I mean? You're already figuring out an arena you don't even know! You'll be fine!"

"Thanks for the advice, Dad. I love you."

We hug, and then he leaves.

Next, my best friends come in.

"Riley! NO!"

Josie and I have been best friends since we were 5. I love her.

"Riles."

Axel is buff, athletic, and muscular. He's one of those gigantic guys who could break my neck in a snap.

Josie sits right next to me and holds out a necklace with a silver half heart. "Our friendship necklace."

"How did I forget it this morning?'

"No clue. But here it is."

I immediately fasten it around my neck. No way will I forget it this time.

Axel hugs me in a way that makes me think that he loves me. It's such a huge, loving hug.

"I will miss you guys so much!"

"As long as you get back..."

And, suddenly, they're gone. I really miss him.

* * *

><p><span>Wesley "Wes" Goode POV:<span>

My family comes in first. I have a nice mother who cares about me, but all my dad cares about is my little sister, Ruffle. She's two and such a brat. I don't know why he likes her.

"Wes, will you come home and be my big brother again?" she asks, in a sweet tone that I can see right through.

"Maybe. Depends on how bratty you get," I reply obnoxiously.

Ruffle bursts into tears, and runs to my daddy.

"Wes, why did you do that? Ruffle's just two. You have to be a role model."

"Role model! I don't WANT to be a role model. I hate her! She is such a brat! I don't think that anyone could be a role model to HER!"

Ruffle is bawling. Dad takes her and comforts her.

Mom sits next to me.

"Wes, my dear, darling son, you are a unique, special kid. I love you, and I will never, ever not love you. However, you need to be at least an OK big brother. I know you don't like Ruffle, but, whether you like it or not, she's here. And your father and I love her very much just like we love you very much. But, even though she's small, and needs attention, I do whatever I can to make you happy."

"NO! You do not love Ruffle! You don't! You just love me and me alone!"

I guess you could say I have a temper tantrum, so my parents take Ruffle and leave.

* * *

><p><span>Ty Leowne POV:<span>

My family enters. Mom literally has to hold up my little sister, Renee. She's kind of sick. As a result, we are very poor. It makes me sad.

Dad is always out drinking and never at home. It is really annoying. I wish, someday, he'd be a better father. But that will never happen.

Renee comes to hug my legs. That's all she can do, since she is so sick that she can barely walk. She is happy and giggly, but she knows that she's going to die soon.

"Ty, please come back so I can see you again."

"I'll try, Renee. But there are so many tributes bigger and stronger than me!"

"But you will be fine."

"Also," Mom puts in, "You will be on a team, Ty! It won't be that hard to get along with everyone. You're so happy and cheerful!"

"But I HATE, HATE, HATE water! Remember?"

"Right. Well, maybe your allies won't make you look at the water."

Renee is looking weaker and weaker.

"Mom. If I don't come back, find another man to marry. Get rid of Dad, who wants to be a good parent but can't. And, most of all, have more kids."

"Got it, Ty. You will take your glasses?"

"What else?"

"Right. Well, take care of yourself. Maybe, if you come back, we will have enough money to heal Renee."

"Maybe."

We hug, and they leave.

Next, Janice comes in. We are best friends. Everyone else thinks we are boy-friend and girl-friend, but we're not!

"Hi, Ty-Ty."

"Hi, Jan-Jan."

We eskimo kiss. I don't know why touching your noses is an eskimo kiss, but that's what we call it.

"Make sure you come back, Ty-ty! I don't want to lose my best fwiend!"

"I don't want to ever lose mine, either. I'm glad you are safe, even if we may never see eachother again."

Janice curls up next to me. I really like how her head feels on my lap. She is so sweet.

I start to rub her back. We sit like that until her time is up.

Then she gives me a real kiss.

* * *

><p><span>Leia Dean POV:<span>

Fallen is really mad.

"Why did you volunteer?"

"Because I would never be able to live without you. You are the best."

I stay by hiim. He makes sure I stay safe.

Mom and Dad come in first. They love, love, love us! And we love them back.

Mom says, "Oh, my two beautiful kids. How can I live without you? And Leia, why did you volunteer?"

"So I could be with Fallen. I love him."

"Well, Fallen, keep Leia alive. And Leia, try to keep Fallen alive, too."

"I can do that!" Fallen announces.

Dad comes in to hug us. "I will never be whole without you two. Make sure to come back to me."

"We will," the two of us chorus.

"Now, do you have tokens?"

"I'll take the rock Leia gave me."

Fallen opens his hand, and there it is. The rock I got him when I was five.

"I'll take the bracelet Fallen gave me," I say, and hold out my wrist. He smiles. Fallen gave it to me on my birthday.

"We will miss you both. Come back to us."

And they leaved.

Next, Fallen's friend, Devon, comes in. The two are laid back, calm, and nearly care-free. they joke and laugh a lot.

I don't really pay attention while they say goodbye. I'm kind of shy around Devon.

After Devon leaves, we head out to the train. Funny. We make the trains, and then go to the capitol on them.

I cower behind Fallen's legs. There are just so many cameras!

Finally, we get on board, and are led to our rooms. And, as Six goes by, I can't help but wonder.

Will I ever see Six again?

* * *

><p><strong>So, here is the D6 reapings! Thank you to Esse Quam Videri, Bowserboy129, TributeSix, thislittlemockingjay97, CharmyXcream14, Gamemaker Allie, and frimil for submitting the tributes in this chapter! Aren't they cute? Does anyone think it's coincidental that I wrote about Ty and Janice on Valentine's Day?<strong>

**So, like I said, I want to explain how the course of the story will go. We only have 3 more reapings after this. Then, we will have something called a Reaping Recap. It will show our tributes on the trains watching the reapings. The bios will be in that chapter.**

**Then, we will have Moving, Part 2, where Elodie goes to the Capitol and we see why I included her in the story. After that, we will have 2 chapters depicting the arrival at the Capitol.**

**Oh, I nearly forgot. Training scores! Since the last chapter where I posted them, I got scores from DeathAngel80, Mindnight Ink, and ZigZag5747. I'm only missing scores from 15 people! Come on, please send them in!**

**And now...**

**SPONSOR QUESTIONS! (3 of them!)**

**Question 1**

**Category: Math**

**Number of Points: 30**

**True or False: There are no even prime numbers.**

**Question 2**

**Category: History**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Finish this sentence: In Fourteen-Hundred Ninety-Two...**

**Question 3**

**Category: Yours Truly!**

**Number of Points: 30**

**What is my favorite number?**

**So, here it is! Expect the next reapings within 2 weeks!**

**-Goldie031**


	16. District 11 Reapings: I'll Never Make It

**OK. It seems so weird to me that on a break, I had less time to write that not. Odd. Anyway, here we have our D11 reapings. These are so tedious, but I only have 3 to go. This one may be the easiest. We have 8 submitters of 8 tributes, so I don't have any gimmicks that make things tough. YES!**

**By the way, I am REALLY good at misspelling names. 2 tributes here I messed up their names, so I'll go fix it now. Please let me know if your tributes name isn't spelled right!**

**Also, I am begging that some of you read Rue Returns, because otherwise this chapter will confuse you.**

**Here are the answers to the sponsor questions from the last chapter:**

**1. False. 2 is a prime number!**

**2. Columbus sailed the ocean blue.**

**3. 31. It's in my pen name, for crying out loud!**

**So, here goes nothing! I present to you: District 11**

* * *

><p><span>Fae Springer POV:<span>

I wake up on reaping day. Of course I have to get ready myself. Mom's a "healer" and Dad's in the fields. And Alyssa...

Well, lets just say we could have a better relationship.

All of a sudden, someone bangs on my door. "FAE! Get UP! Reapings in an hour!"

Crud.

I get up and go to the mirror to look at myself. Curly strawberry-blond hair, odd golden/honey colored eyes, lightly tanned skin. Some people call me angelic.

I go to my dresser and pull out a white skirt. When I put it on, it immediately sinks to my feet. Hmm, that gives me an idea!

I pull the skirt all the way up. Then, I grab a strip of leather and tie it around my waist. Perfect.

Finally, I take a pin of a phoenix in flight out of my dresser and pin it on the skirt. My outfit is complete.

I go downstairs carefully. Alyssa, who's 15, looks at me. "You know, Fae, I hate to say it, but you look kinda pretty."

"Thanks, I guess," I reply timidly.

"Lets go, kiddo. MOM! We're leaving!"

"OK, girls! See you there!"

When we get there, it is obvious that we are early. The people are still setting up the ropes. We sign in with a Peacekeeper, the only nice one in the district.

"Wow, you two are half an hour early. Why don't you stay and watch?"

"OK," we say, and sit in 2 chairs on the side.

The peacekeepers are setting up a silver stage. Puzzle piece-type things are pieced together to make the stage. Suddenly, I see a familiar flash of blond hair.

"Brittani!"

"Oh, hi, Fae! How's your reaping morning?"

"OK. Yours?"

"Ok. Want to climb a tree?" she says, and winks.

Brittani and I have been best friends for forever. When we worked in the trees, we used to try to see who could climb the highest! Brittani fell out so many times that she can now land on her feet every time. Like a cat!

We see that the peacekeepers have the ropes up, so we have to go to our spots. And that's when I see the problem.

I am 11. Brit is 12.

Different sections and areas.

"Good luck!" I call, before heading to the front of the little kids' area. The area fills up faster and faster with more kids. I wave to my friend, Hallin, who's my age. He's quiet, but smart and absorbs information like a sponge.

The square fills up, and everyone is there. So, we idly chat for a while.

Suddenly, we hear the whistle. Rue's whistle.

Rue's whistle has become a call of sorts, signaling the start of the reapings year after year. It became a sort of tradition the first reaping after she was brought back. She did it, just because, and it sort of stuck.

As is tradition, the Mayor walks on stage, followed by our mentors, followed by our escort. I observe our mentors carefully.

Obviously, we have Rue. Oh, no. Poor Rue. She has to mentor 11 AND 12 this year! Which means 16 tributes. She'll have help.

Other than Rue, there are Chaff and Seeder. Seeder is 85 and in a wheelchair, but always helpful. Chaff is just slightly less drunk than Haymitch.

Then, there is Dallas Rush. She won 2 or 3 years before Seeder, I think. She's really old and in a wheelchair.

Last, we have our escort. Right when he comes in, I get chills. He is wearing a pinstripe suit and has no altercations. He has a buzz cut of black hair and piercing blue eyes, and is tall. He is the most feared escort in Panem. Even his name strikes fear into your heart.

Goliath McKenny.

The Mayor does everything he has to to start the reapings - the history of Panem. I tune it out.

Finally, Goliath comes up to the mike. Everyone avoids his gaze.

"Lets go. Chop chop. We have a job to do."

He goes to a ball and draws a name. "Marianne Belle!"

A girl in the 9s section starts crying and tries to run, but a Peacekeeper stops her and brings her to the stage. She has blond hair and brown eyes, and is wearing a yellow sundress with white flats. She's cute. I'd like to ally with her.

Goliath practically shoves her back to get on with the reapings.

The next name is drawn. "Fae Springer!"

I am in shock. Someone pushes me to the stage. I look for Alyssa. There she is, and she's not volunteering. Right, she can't.

Rue takes the two of us off-stage. That's another D11 tradition. The mentor of the specific tribute(s) takes the tribute(s) offstage to the goodbye rooms.

We are led to an extra room with a table. Rue picks up a small square device and presses a few buttons.

"Are there any from 12? Not yet? I'll meet them later. OK."

She turns back to us.

"Hi, girls! You know me, I'm Rue. I'll be your mentor, and I'll try to get you out of that arena."

"Hi, I'm Fae. Do you want to be allies?"

"If we can sure."

"Marianne, I have some interesting news for you," Rue cuts in. "Trinity is in the Games."

Marianne bursts into tears.

"Who's Trinity?" I ask.

"My (sob) cousin. Can she (sob) be in our alliance?'

"Sure. If she's your cousin, she's in."

* * *

><p><span>Jaren Combler POV:<span>

After Rue leads the girls offstage, Goliath continues on. He draws the third name. "Hallin Crow."

An 11-year-old boy walks to the stage with his head down. He has brown hair, black eyes, and tan skin, and is wearing a pair of brown pants and a black shirt. I wave to him. We know each other. He looks like me, except I have grey eyes and olive skin.

He steps back next to Dallas. Obviously, Dallas will mentor him.

Goliath picks out the fourth name. "Jaren Combler."

Fear and shock are the two words running through my mind.

I slowly go up to the stage, and Dallas escorts me and Hallin to the room. Rue says "...so, what you meed to do is... Oh, the next group is here. We have to go. Here, I'll show you your rooms."

Rue and the girls go out, and Dallas takes us in.

"OK, boys, her's the deal. I have been mentoring for many years. My goal is to get you out alive. It may be difficult, but I will."

"Why do WE have a girl mentor?" Hallin complains.

"Yeah," I agree.

"Well, there is only one alive male mentor, and we agreed that it would be more appropriate if the older boys got the male mentor."

"WHY!" we yell.

"You'll learn when you get older."

Oh, god.

* * *

><p><span>Akizah Whisper POV:<span>

Goliath is wasting no time. He immediately goes to pick another name.

"Aileen Mellows!"

A 14-year-old girl with strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, and olive skin walks to the stage looking upset and shocked. She's very petite. Which is a polite way to say she's short.

I look at myself. With my dark brown, scraggly hair in scraggly braids, green eyes, grimy face, hand-me-down overalls, and brown shoelace from my Dad's shoe. He was killed by peacekeeper. The lace still has his blood.

We have nothing in common, us two girls.

"Bono Cresta!"

Except that we're both going into the Games.

"I volunteer!"

Bono's my best friend. She's blind. She wouldn't last 5 seconds.

I'm a bit scared, but I know I did the right thing.

Seeder leads us backstage. Dallas is just finishing up with the boys. They leave the room, and Jaren waves to us on the way. He's so friendly!

"OK, girls, here's the deal. There are 96 tributes. 7 of them will ally with you. The other 88 want to kill you. My job is to protect you from those 88."

Now that I think about it...

I will never make it out of these Games.

* * *

><p><span>Asa Benedict POV:<span>

Almost there.

"Quiinn Jones!"

A 17-year-old boy walks to the stage that is kind of trying to smile through his shock and fear. He has bronze hair and warm brown eyes. He's tan, and he has a scar over his left eyebrow. He's wearing a blue vest and scruffy, ripped blue jeans.

"I will win," he says confidently.

The final name. "Asa Benedict!"

I am stunned. Calvin pushes me forward. Then it hits me.

I'm going into the Games.

I start signing words quickly to the escort. He can't understand what I'm saying.

"Those are our tributes, District 11."

Quiinn and I have to listen to the Treaty of Treason, as we were the last tributes to be reaped. I don't WANT to go into the games!

But, if I do, it'll give me adrenaline.

The anthem plays, and Quiinn and I go backstage with Chaff.

Chaff studies us up and down. I feel uncomfortable. My black hair is very scruffy. I am very pale. My black t-shirt and blue jeans are dirty as I was beaten up right before the reapings.

"Hello, boys! I'm Chaff, your mentor. I'll be guiding you through the Games."

"That sounds good," Quiinn says.

"Why isn't he talking?" Chaff asks.

I take out my small notebook, and write in it. It's one of the only ways I can communicate. _I'm mute_.

* * *

><p><span>Aileen Mellows POV:<span>

After talking with Seeder, we are led into our goodbye rooms. First to come in to mine are my parents and baby brother, Leo. Mom puts Leo on my lap. I hold him carefully, as to not drop him.

"Hi, there, Leo. I hope you remember the sound of my voice."

I scratch under his chin, and he giggles. His big eyes look up at me so cutely. I adore him.

Mom hugs me. "Aileen, please come back. I need an extra hand to take care of Leo."

Dad rolls his eyes. "We need more than an extra hand, Aileen. We need **you!**"

"Aww, guys. I'll miss you too. But I'll be back. You'll have me."

"We love you, too." Mom says.

"Leen!" Leo says. "Leen! Leen!"

"He's saying my name!"

Mom says, "I am so proud, Leo. You said your first word!"

Dad hugs him as well.

"Aileen, here," he says. "This is a bracelet with a bead from each of us. So you can remember us while you're in the arena."

Then, they each hug me one more time before leaving.

Next, Darla, my best friend, comes in. She is so sweet, and she gets me so well.

"Aileen!"

"Darla, darling. Ooh, I like how that sounds!"

"Aileen, here. I have a bead for your bracelet. I told all of your other friends to bring one. Then you can remember all of us in the Games."

"Oh, thanks, Darla! I'll always cherish it."

"Assuming you come back."

"Which I will. I'll be fine!"

"You sure?"

"Yup!"

Suddenly, another Peacekeeper comes in and takes Darla out. Then, all of my other friends come in. They each give me a bead, and I put them on the bracelet. I love my friends.

* * *

><p><span>Quiinn Jones POV:<span>

First, my family comes in. I have a lot of family. A big brother, a little brother, and two little sisters. Our house is very crowded.

Olleson, my 19-year-old big brother, sits as far away from me as he can. We have a kind of rivalry. He's really arrogant, but somehow lots of people love him.

Ricka, my 13-year-old brother, is sweet and shy. He sits right next to me and snuggles up against me.

Ari, Ricka's twin, is outspoken, loud, and talkative. She sits next to Ricka on the other side.

And then there's 4-year-old Hannass. She is bubbly and loves attention.

Both of my parents are very talkative and love us all.

I love my family.

Mom starts out. "Quiinn, please get back. You are so good with everyone. And you are such a big help."

"Yeah," Ricka says shyly. "And we'll miss you, too!"

"You're the best brother ever!" Hannass adds.

Determined to get the best word in, Ari says, "We'll never live without you!"

And she play faints. Olleson rolls his eyes.

Dad says, "Quiinn, I'll miss you too. But Ari will try to get the last word in, so I will say that our family will never be complete without you."

I hug him. Then, I hug my mother.

Ari starts to talk. And talk. And talk. She finally hugs me and leaves.

Ricka looks into my eyes with his deep brown ones. "Quiinn, I'll miss you so, so much. You actually make me feel comfortable here. I don't know what I'd do without you." He gives me a kiss on the cheek and leaves.

Hannass says, "Come back soon from wherever you're going, Quiinn."

Finally, just Olleson is left. He says, "Quiinn, no matter what happens, I'll miss you."

And he leaves.

Next, my friends come in. Tees, Foxy, Asher, and Feern. But, most importantly, Jeremie. He's my best friend.

I hug each of them in turn. Jeremie says, "Here. I brought you this."

It's a piece of bark on a string. "Why?"

"To remind you of home."

"Aww! Thanks!"

"Yo, Quiinn, get me a few numbers while you're there!" Asher says. Typical.

"Just have fun out there, OK, Quinn?" Jeremie asks.

"I'll try. You don't usually put the words 'fun' and 'Hunger Games' in the same sentence. But I know I'll come back."

Suddenly, a peacekeeper appears in the doorway. My friends hug me one last time, and leaves.

* * *

><p><span>Hallin Crow POV:<span> **(A/N: This will be a shorter POV as Hallin is a BB)**

My dad comes in first. He's a solo parent, as my mother died when I was 2.

"Hallin, please come back, and not in a box. I wouldn't be able to stand it having nobody."

"Maybe you could get remarried?" I shyly say.

"Well, lets focus on getting you home first, OK? I love you."

But a Peacekeeper comes in right then and takes Dad away.

Then, Jessabell comes in. She's been my friend since Mom's death. She's nice, and walks with a limp.

"Please come back, Hallin."

"I'll try, Jessabell. I'll miss you."

"You too."

And then, another Peacekeeper comes in and takes her away.

Those visits seemed way to short.

* * *

><p><span>Marianne Belle POV:<span>

I can't believe Trinity's in the Games. Why, why why!

At least I get to see her again.

My parents and brother, Jack, come in. He's four, and so cute!

"Hi, guys," I say. "Bad news."

"What?" my parents ask.

"Rue told me that Trinity is in the Games."

My mom immediately starts crying. Her sister, Delilah, is my aunt.

Dad sees sense. "Trinity is 11, right? perfect. She'll protect you."

"Right. But the thing is, then I won't be able to protect Jack."

"In the arena, focus on protecting yourself."

Jack says, "Come back, Mari. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Jackie."

"Don't call me that!" he says in the adorable way four-year-olds do.

"Mari, we wil miss you so much."

I break down in tears. "I want to come back," I say, trying to break through the sobs. Mom comforts me. It's usual for me to cry like this.

"Here, Mari," my Dad says, "for your token."

I look at it. It's a gold pin with a gold charm hanging off of it. It's beautiful.

"I love it, Dad."

I immediately pin it on.

Suddenly, a Peacekeeper comes in. I break into tears again.

Dad kisses me on the head. Mom hugs me. Jack snuggles into my lap one last time.

And they leave.

Next, a few kids from school come in. We laugh and talk like 9-year-olds, and don't think about the fact that I am about to die. All to soon, they leave, too.

Finally, it's time to get on the train. Once we get to the train station, I sweetly wave at the cameras. We are finally allowed to board the train. FAe and I sit on a couch.

"So, ?" she says.

"I already said yes. But, yes again. Boy, that'll make Rue's job easier!"

"True. Are you ready for this?"

"Well, I hope so."

* * *

><p><strong>So, here we have it. I started writing this chapter on Sunday. Things are so much easier when you have no siblings in a district. Thanks to LoveIsBlindness, Esse Quam Videri, Pordo, Wobbe, CharmyXcream14, frimil, Inocencia, and moosegirl45for submitting the very easy tributes in this chapter.<strong>

**Now, for the things I address each chapter.**

**Training scores. I'm going to change how I do this. Instead of saying who's scores I have, I'll say who's scores I don't. So, here it is. BloomingRue, Bowserboy129, Caitewarren, ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, Cloudie Daze, DaughterofLyssa, Jayfish, keeponrockin'inthefreeworld, MysteryGirl246, PearyPants44, Stop-IBegYou, tootsiepop104, TributeSix, willbo, Wobbe. If your name is on this list, send me the scores.**

**Sponsor point questions. So, I'm going to have a new thing for that. I will have the first question be about the last chapter. So...**

**Question 1**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 10**

**Why did Leia Dean volunteer?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Sports**

**Number of Points: 30**

**Who did the Yankees recently trade to the Pirates?**

**Question 3**

**Category: Physics**

**Number of Points: 40**

**Angle of incidence = _**

**OK, so that's all for now! I'll get the next chapter up within 2 weeks, I promise.**

**-Goldie031 **


	17. District 9 Reapings: You're On Your Own

**OK, so here are our next reapings. I'm so sorry it took me so long, you don't want to know what I'm up to! But, here they are. here are the answers to the sponsor point questions:**

**1. Because she wanted to be with her brother**

**2. A. J. Burnett. Boy, it's funny what an overwhelming response I get to those sports questions, she said sarcastically.**

**3. Angle of reflection.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games. Duh.**

**So here we go! Next chapter, coming right up! I'll explain why it took so long at the bottom.**

* * *

><p><span>Ivy Ember POV:<span>

"Ivy, wake up!"

I feel someone shaking me.

"No, I don't wanna get up."

"Come on, little sis. Let's get up!"

I groggily open my eyes. Cassia, my 15-year-old sister, is standing over me. I immediately recognize her, even in my groggy state, as she has long red hair and deep brown eyes. Obviously, she's already ready, as her hair is brushed.

"Good, you're up. Let's get you ready."

I get out of bed, and stand in front of my mirror. Cassia comes over with a hairbrush. We always brush my hair first, because it is long, dark brown, and curly. Usually Mommy brushes it, but she obviously overslept.

"OK, Ivy, now, do you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Cassia!"

"Great. Now, let's get this over with."

After half an hour, we finally finished brushing my hair. I must have said OW over 50 times.

"OK, we're done. Now, let's get you dressed. What do you want to wear?"

"Jeans and a T-shirt," I reply.

"Are you kidding me? It's reaping day! You have to wear something pretty!"

I hate dresses.

"All right," I sigh. "What do you suggest?"

Cassia hands me a black dress with blue lacing and blue flats.

"Here. Blue goes well with green, so it'll match your eyes. And black goes with EVERYTHING!"

I put it on. Cassia's right. But it feels too weird to not wear any pants or shorts on; nothing separating my legs.

Did I say I hate dresses? I can't wear just a dress. I just can't. So, I reach into my drawer, pull out jean shorts, and put them on. I look at Cassia.

"At least you can't see them," she says. "All right, Ivy, let's get some breakfast. And don't spill any on your dress."

When we go downstairs, Mom is sitting at a table. She is a combination of the two of us. She has Cassia's red hair, though it's short, and my green eyes.

"Good morning, girls! Thank you so much for getting Ivy ready, Cassia," Mom says.

"No problem," she says. "Least I could do."

Cassia hugs mom.

"Good morning, Mommy!" I add. "How are you, today?"

"A bit tired. But good. You, Ivy?"

"Good. I want to throw a ball around a bit with one of my friends."

"Why don't you go and meet up with Alyssa and Valerie and go to the reapings? I'll meet you there."

"All right. See you later, Mom!" Cassia says, and leads me out of the house.

We head down the street to Alyssa's house. Valerie is her older sister. They have the same blond hair, which is halfway down their backs, and the same brown eyes. Alyssa is really nice and considerate, but Valerie is very timid.

I knock on the door. Alyssa answers it.

"Good morning, Ivy. Hi, Cassia. How are you?"

"Good," Cassia replies. "Where's Val?"

"In her room."

Alyssa rolls her eyes. I get the sense that Valerie isn't as caring as Cassia is.

"Thanks!"

And Cassia runs upstairs.

"So, do you wanna head to the reapings?"

"Sure."

We walk to the town square. The sign in desk has 14 clipboards, one for each age, so that the peacekeepers can keep track of us. Alyssa and I head to the one marked 11. Next, we have to find our name somewhere in the sheets of paper on the clipboard. I have a pretty easy time, because my last name starts with E. Whereas Alyssa, whose last name starts with S, has a harder time. She has to flip through quite a lot of pages to find her mane. Last, all we have to do is sign our names. After doing so, we go to our section.

It takes quite a while for everyone to get there. Since we all have to sign our names in, it usually takes a while to get started. Suddenly, I see one of the girls in my age group, Cassie, come in to our section. "Hi, Ivy."

"Hey, Cassie. How are you?"

"Great. A bit scared," she replies.

And we fall silent. Reaping days aren't exactly chatty days.

Cassie is really pretty. She's wearing a black dress with a green sash in the middle the same color as her eyes, a black headband that pulls back her long black hair, and brown sandals.

The square begins to fill up, and suddenly we hear a bell tone. Well, actually, three bell tones, meaning 15 minutes to the reapings. Don't ask me why.

"Ivy! You! You wanna throw a ball around?" one of the guys in my age group yells.

"Sure."

He tosses me the ball, and I toss it back, nearly knocking him over. "Actually, maybe later. I don't want to get in trouble."

"Fine, Ivy."

Alyssa asks me, "Ivy do you think you will be reaped?"

"I don't think so. I don't have too many slips. We all have one."

The Capitol decided that, since some of us aren't going to be reaped for another 6 or 7 years, all younger kids will only have one slip - unless, of course, they should take out tessarae, in which case those numbers will be added to their total number of slips once they get to reaping age. That means that my mother wouldn't let me take any.

Suddenly, we hear 5 quick bell tones. That means that the reapings are about to start. Right on cue, our mayor walks on stage. He begins to tell the history of Panem, but like a story, and he keeps us all intrigued. I almost don't want it to end.

Next, our mentors, Sarah and Sophie sheaf, come on stage. They are twins, but they couldn't be more different.

Sophie won when she was 12 by running away from everybody. She has plain, straight brown hair and brown eyes, and is about the shortest person in 9. She's good with smarts and logical things.

Sarah won last year, at age 16, by backing her opponent into a mutt. She is really tall, has blond, wavy hair, and green eyes. She is good at athletic stuff.

I've heard that the twins are great mentors. Good thing I wouldn't know.

Then, our escort, Alex Robinson, comes onstage. He has hair that looks like a... whatsit... basketball? Yeah, that's it. And his eyes look like baseballs. He's so tan he's orange.

"Let's get started with our younger girls. After all, ladies first!"

Great.

Alex draws the first name. "Ronette Chambers!"

Oh no. Not Ronette. Her and Cassie are best friends. Ronette is so timid. She'll never make it...

"I volunteer."

Cassie calmly walks up to the stage and takes Ronette's place.

"What's your name, sweetie?"

"Cassiopea Erin Winters, but you can call me Cassie."

"OK, then, why don't you step right back there? Great. Now, our second female tribute. Ivy Ember!"

I can't move.

* * *

><p><span>Barley Harrison POV:<span>

One of the Peacekeepers literally picks Ivy up and brings her to the stage. I feel bad for her, but at least she's 11, and not 5.

I hate this reaping thing. I want to play with my friends, like any boy. But, I know I'll get murdered if I don't come.

Alex moves on to the younger boys. "Sandy Cline!"

"I volunteer!"

Oh, no. Not Tinny. Everyone in 9 knows Tinny.

Tinny has golden blond hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a white shirt and black jeans... and holding crutches. One of his legs is shorter than the other.

Tinny is really nice. He wants to make everyone happy. Tinny even gave me this bunch of grain, all strung together, when I saw him signing in this morning.

He starts to limp to the stage, coughing every now and then. Everyone is screaming at him to stop. But he won't.

"What's your name?" Alex says, looking slightly crestfallen.

"Tinny Mince," he says, and our whole district sighs. Nobody wanted him to go in.

He's only 7.

Alex says, "Well, what a brave little boy! OK, on to our second boy. Barley Harrison!"

Oh, well.

* * *

><p><span>Poise Caesurea POV:<span>

Barely goes to the stage. He is so cute! He has dark brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin, and is wearing a white shirt and khaki pants with a black threaded belt, as well as black shoes.

I really wish I could daze out a little bit. The world is so... real. And I don't want to face that.

But today, I have to try to focus. If I daze out today...

Alex moves on to the older ladies. We can tell because that ball is larger, as there are more slips in there. He draws the first name. _Not me. Not me._

"Maybell Flince!"

A 15-year-old girl starts to walk up to the stage with a blank face. She doesn't turn at all. She has copper-ish brown hair, dark blue eyes, and tam skin, and is wearing a red dress that looks a bit big on her. Poor her. All of her siblings try to run to her, but she doesn't pay attention.

I don't know what to do. My mom died in childbirth, and my dad blames me, so he abuses me. I hate him. On my neck is a silver necklace that used to be Mom's that I stole from Dad.

Alex picks the final girl. "Alisz Lane!"

"I volunteer!"

I have to get away from him.

* * *

><p><span>Sen Arylian POV: <span>

Poise is 16. And kind of an outcast. She has dark brown, almost black, really straight hair, stormy grey eyes, and really pale skin. She's wearing a hunting jacket, a plain black t-shirt, and 3/4 length trousers.

Everyone in 9 knows Poise, but in a bad way, not like Tinny.

It's finally time for those older boys, such as me. I'm paranoid. At leats things will be better when I go to the Capitol. I've been living off of the streets! My parents were killed by peacekeepers when I was little. Before she left, she gave me a locket with a picture of her in it. It's the last thing I have from her, and I love her.

"Jason Carteiar!"

"I volunteer!"

A 17-year-old boy with blond hair and green eyes with... are those yellow, red, and blue flecks in them? Anyway, he's wearing a green shirt and black pants.

"I'm Conall Carteiar. That was my brother."

"Well, wasn't that nice of you? Let's pick our final boy and final tribute."

I hope I don't get picked. I hate the Games.

Alex draws the name. "Sen Arylian!"

* * *

><p><span>Conall Carteiar POV:<span>

He becomes really pale and nearly faints. But he keeps trying to get up to the stage, and eventually makes it.

Then, the mayor tells the treaty of treason like he told the history of Panem, and then comes the anthem.

As the crowd leaves, Sophie motions to us. "We have a problem, guys. Fore some reason, there are only 4 rooms for goodbyes, and 8 of you. So, we will do this in two half-hour shifts. Our older boys and girls will go first, and then our younger boys and girls, OK? So, Conall, Sen, Maybell, and Poise, you guys head back, and Tinny, Cassie, Barley, and Ivy, we'll stay here and play a game of some sorts. OK?"

We all nod, and us older kids head backstage.

First to come into my room are Mom, Dad, Sammy, and Jason. Sammy goes straight to sit on my lap. She is such a sweet little girl. With her red hair and blue eyes, she is an innocent angel.

"Conall, will you come back?" she says slowly and sweetly.

"I hope so, Sammy. But if I don't, will you forget me?"

"Never!" she exclaims, and throws her arms around my neck.

Jason comes up to me next. "Conall, thank you for volunteering for me. But, I'll feel so guilty if I don't come back. What will I do?"

"You'll keep going and remember me. And I'll win anyways. I just have to be a leader!"

"Which is what you do best," Jason adds.

Mom and Dad hug me one by one. Mom, as usual, is paranoid, and Dad is pretty confident in me.

Sammy taps me on the shoulder. "Conall, here, I have something for you."

She hands me a ring. "Look, Ginger and I found it. It says C.C. For Conall Cartier."

"I love it, Sammy. Thank you."

Suddenly, the peacekeepers come in. And take them out.

And Gingie (and Thomas, Jack, and Randolf) come in.

Gingie snuggles up to me like the girlfriend she is. She is perfect.

"Did Sammy give you the ring?"

"Yup."

"You know both of us found it, right? Me and Sammy?"

"Well, now I do. I love it."

Thomas comes up. "Stop being all lovey-dovey. There are others of us here right now who want to say goodbye!"

Jack says "Yeah."

Randolf says, "And you know we'll miss you."

Jack says, "Yeah."

Jack doesn't talk much.

"Now, here's the deal," Thomas begins.

Uh-oh.

"All you have to do is pretend that the rest of your team is your family. You love your family! If you do that, you will be fine."

"But then he'll want to protect them! He'll die trying!" Randolf exclaims! "He'll be dead! Dead!"

In case you can't tell, Thomas is the more logical one, while Randolf is slightly paranoid.

"Look, all you have to do is work with your team, and you're out of there!"

And then the Peacekeepers come in to take them away.

"Switch shifts!" Sophie yells.

* * *

><p><span>Maybell Flince POV:<span>

I have a huge family.

Grahm is 12. Silvie is 8. Marc and Minnie are 5. Sunny is 5 months.

My mother died right after Sunny was born, because she got sick, and Dad committed suicide because he loved Mom too much.

"What do we do without you, Maybell?" Grahm asks.

"Good question," I reply. "I'm not sure. You would be next in the 'line of succession', but..."

"I'm blind in the left eye."

"Exactly. So, I think you and Silvie should work together."

"Yay! I get to be responsible!" Silvie exclaims.

"Yes, but you have to actually help and not pretend to. Now, Grahm, remember, Sunny needs a bottle at least 3 times a day. If she cries, check her diaper. Marc and Minnie work together pretty well, and they love to color. Minnie loves her brown hair in two braid, not one, and Silvie has her white hair in one braid, not two. Mark's red hair has to be brushed, or it gets disgusting. If anyone gets pink eye, call Dr. K and he'll help."

"Geez, Maybell, I'll be fine. Trust me."

Mark and Minnie snuggle up to me suddenly.

"Here, Maybell," Mark starts, "We got you this."

"It's a locket," Minnie adds.

I open it up. It's a picture of all of us when Sunny was born. "I ,love it."

Lastly, I get to hold Sunny. "You little one, remember your big sister Maybell, OK?"

"Ga goo ga."

We all laugh, but then the Peacekeepers come in.

I wish I had some friends to come in, but I have none anymore.

"Switch shifts!"

* * *

><p><span>Tinny Mince POV:<span>

The older kids come out of their rooms, and I limp into mine.

My parents and siblings run in. Sora, who is just 4, goes straight for my lap. She looks up to me.

"Tinny, where are you going?"

"I'm going to a special new place. I'll be back."

"I can't wait to see you when you get back!"

Sora looks like an angel with her curly blond hair and blue eyes. I love her.

Selene, who's 14, gingerly comes over and hugs me. She feels guilty because, once, we were walking on a bridge and I fell off of it. She couldn't grab me in time. I don't think she's ever forgiven herself.

Harvy comes over to give me a huge hug. He has always looked out for me because he is 18.

"Tinny, I have tried to take care of you all these years, but now, I can't. You're on your own."

Next, my mother comes over. "Tinny, why did you volunteer?"

"I didn't want Sandy to go in. He's my friend."

"Well, that's very honorable of you. I'll miss my little Tinny so much!"

"You too."

And the Peacekeepers come in to take them out.

Next Sandy and Lil-Lil come in. Sandy zooms straight to me.

"You volunteered for me," he says.

"Yeah, because I didn't want you to go."

"But you'll get yourself killed!"

"Better than you getting yourself killed."

Lil-Lil comes to me next. She sits on my lap (with difficulty, as we are about the same size) and says, "You will come back, right?"

"I hope," I reply.

"We will miss you so much!" she exclaims in a very un-Lil-Lil-ish way.

"I'll miss you guys so much."

"Wait. You need one more thing," Sandy exclaims.

"What?"

"A token."

"Right. I have to take my crutches."

"Do you think the Gamemakers will allow that?"

"I hope so."

And the Peacekeepers come in again. I'll be fine! I know I'll make it.

* * *

><p><span>Cassiopea "Cassie" Erin Winters POV: <span>

My family comes in first. I have a simple family, me, my parents, and Cassandra, my big sister.

"Hey there, squirt!" she says, ruffling my hair.

"I hate it when you call me that."

"I know."

I hate it when she teases me.

Daddy ruffles my hair like Cassandra did. But he doesn't mean it in the same way he did. "I'll really miss you, Cassie."

"I'll miss you too, Dad."

"Oh, Cassie, you have to be careful in there! I don't want you to get burned! Wear sunscreen, and, if you need it, I'll get you burn ointment through the sponsor syster."

And she goes on and on. Mom is a bit over-protective.

Dad finally stops her. "Cassie, here."

He hands me a simple silver chain with two silver rings on it. "Our wedding rings," he explains.

"I adore it."

Cassandra helps me fasten the necklace around my neck. I notice how the rings fall over my heart.

Each person in my family gives me a final hug before they leave.

Then, Ronette comes in. She zooms straight for me and hugs me. "Thank you so much for volunteering for me."

"No problem."

"Listen, you have to come home again. You're strong. Stronger than me."

"But, what if I don't come back?"

"I'll be really, really upset. Hey, what's that around your neck?"

"Mom and Dad's wedding rings. They gave them to me."

"Wow, they're beautiful."

"Thanks, but I don't think you should compliment me. Mom and Dad picked them out."

"Can I touch them?"

"Sure."

She lightly touches the rings. When she presses them to my chest, it feels cold. I involuntarily giggle.

"What?"

And the Peacekeepers come in relieving me of a very awkward situation.

Then, I am immediately led out to the cars.

I end up next to Sarah. It's actually funny. Cassandra is the same age as her, and they do get along. They're actually pretty good friends. So, Sarah knows me.

"You OK?" she asks.

"Fine. A bit worried."

"Natural. I was last year. But I'll be there to protect you."

Tinny taps her on the shoulder. "You'll protect me, too, right?"

"I have to, Tinny. What else can I do? There's so many of you and only two of us," she says, motioning to Sophie.

"What about Alex?" I ask.

"Sophie says he isn't always helpful."

The car pulls up. "Remember, guys, first impressions are lasting impressions. Remember to smile and ham it up for the cameras!"

We get out and smile, taking Sarah's advice. After a few minutes, she takes us onto the train.

"See, what did I tell you? You two did great."

"Thaks."

I just hope I do this well in the Games.

* * *

><p><strong>Before I get into the excuses, I want to thank Rosiegirl52, willbo, CharmyXcream14, Inocencia, Stop-IBegYou, BloomingRue, and Akitsuki Akira for submitting the tributes in this chapter.<strong>

**I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up. But, I wanted to explain why. So, here's the deal. I have activities after school Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and I mother's helper on Friday. That leaves Tuesday for doctor's or eye appointments and such. And, lots of times, when I want to write, I get headaches - no, migraines. On the bright side, we figured out the cause. I need new glasses. Also, there are bunch of times when Doc Manager goes down. I write on it so I can also write in school. When that happens, I can't write.**

**Also, please keep in mind that I have 8 characters with, occasionally, 8 different personalities to write for each chapter. That is a whole lot more difficult than two personalities, so cut me some slack.**

**On a good note, we only have one more reapings left, which will lead into a bunch of easy chapters. I'm debating on whether or not to do a train ride chapter or tow. Maybe one before the reaping recap and one after? Let me know.**

**Either way, there won't be sponsor points next chapter, but there will be a way to get sponsor points. More next chapter. Here are this chapter's questions:**

**Question 1**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 10**

**Which two girls are already allies?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Ballet**

**Number of Points: 20**

**How many positions are there?**

**Question 3**

**Category: History**

**Number of Points: 30**

**In what year was Israel established as a state? (10 bonus points for the exact date!)**

**Again, SO sorry it took me so long. I will immediately start writing the last reapings!**

**-Goldie031**


	18. District 10 Reapings: I Love Him

**As promised, another chapter right up. I tried my best to go quickly, but remember, I have 8 POVs.**

**Sponsor point answers:**

**1. Fae and Marianne.**

**2. To my knowledge, there are 5, but anywhere from 4-6 would be acceptable.**

**3. May 14, 1948 is the full date, but just 1948 would be fine.**

**So, I have 2 things before we start. First off, I really need advice on the train rides. Second, I still need training scores from a few people: BloomingRue, ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, Pordo, willbo, Jayfish, TributeSix, **keeponrockin'inthefreeworld, ******and Wobbe. Please get those to me ASAP. If I don't get them in time, your tribute may become a bloodbath.**

**Anyway, here it is, District 10 and the final district for reapings.**

* * *

><p><span>Lambell Rose POV:<span>

I wake up to see the sunlight streaming through the window. My second day of being 5.

As usual in the mornings, I get ready by myself. Herbalina, who is 17, is pregnant, so I'll be an auntie! Weslon is 13 and kind of obnoxious since we are rich. He tries to show other people that he doesn't care by making his nice shirts dirty and ripping green paper in front of little hungry kids. And Poppy, who's 9, hates me, and thinks I'm something called a brat, whatever that means.

I pick out my favorite dress out and lay it on my bed. It's green with fake roses on the bottom. Then, I grab black shoes with red roses on them and put them next to my bed. Last, I take out a green headband with more red roses on it.

Suddenly, someone knocks on my door. "Lambell, it's Mommy."

She comes in, and I fling myself at her. Mommy is the only one in my family that really cares about me.

"Ready to get dressed?"

"Ready!"

"OK, let's brush your pretty hair first."

My hare is really pale blond. It matches my pale blue eyes and pale skin. Since it's so straight, it's easy!

Then, Mommy helps me get into my dress, puts on my shoes with me, and helps to make sure that my headband looks right.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

I head downstairs, where, as usual, it is, what's the word? Caos? Right, chaos. Herbalina is yelling at Dad, Weslon has on his white dress shirt with a couple of brown handprints in the middle and on the sides, and Poppy has her arms folded and is turned away from the table. Just a normal morning.

"Here, Lambell, let's get you breakfast. Waffle morning?"

"OK." I only get waffles a few times a year. Mommy takes out this thing she calls a waffle iron and pours some light brown stuff in it. Finally, my nice, fluffy waffle is done. I eat it.

Then, I grab my necklace from my toy bin. It has a lot of different colored beads. I love to play with it, because it's the only toy I like to play with.

Someone said that I look something called "embarrassed" outside, but that's because not many other people in my family are nice at all.

I see my friend Milinda outside of her house. She's 4. I walk over to her, looking down.

"Hey, Lambell! Where's your brother? Did he mess up another shirt?" she says meanly. I almost start to cry.

Then Milinda's parents come out of her house. "Milinda, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Mommy!" she says innocently. "Just going to the reapings with Lambell. She is so nice!"

I keep looking down.

"How are you, Lambell?"

"Good," I say timidly.

"Well, that's great. Why don't you girls head over to the reapings? We will see you there."

"OK!" Milinda exclaims, and we go to the town square.

When we get there, I go to sign in. I thought Milinda would sign in too, but then I remember that she is only 4 and can't be reaped. Lucky.

My friend, Dek F., comes over. He is in my year in school, but he turned 6 a few weeks ago. He is wearing brown pants and a white polo shirt, because he has big brown eyes and what he calls "auburn" hair.

"Hi, Lambell."

"Hi."

"Are you nervous?"

"A bit."

He smiles. Dek is so nice. I like him.

Suddenly, a bell rings. My grandpa, the mayor, comes on stage. He reads something really long. Then, my daddy and a few other people come on stage. Last, a woman comes on stage. She has gold hair, silver eyes, and red, yellow, green, blue, and black skin. She has red, yellow, green, blue, and black rings on her fingers, and she is wearing a white dress.

"Hi! I'm Olympia Washington, your escort. May the odds be forever in your favor! So, why don't we get started with our younger ladies?"

She walks to a big glass bowl and picks out a piece of paper. "Alain Fennor!"

A 9-year-old with black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin goes to the stage. Even though she is wearing a sky blue dress with a white ribbon, she looks strong.

"You're Alain?" the crazy woman asks, and the girl nods. "Well, why don't you step right back there and we'll talk to you more in a moment, all right?:

She picks another name. "Lambell Rose!"

Everyone looks at me, and someone pushes me to the stage. I look down at my shoes, because I think my family said something.

I'm embarrassed.

* * *

><p><span>Zach Ryans POV:<span>

Poor girl. She has a lot to live up to. Her father is a mentor and her grandpa is the mayor.

"Now for our younger gentlemen."

Olympia, our loco escort, goes to the next bowl. I can't help but notice her 6-inch-tall gold, silver, and bronze heels.

I watch her pick a slip from the bowl. Suddenly, she trips. I can clearly hear her say, "Uh-oh. The paper fell."

See, in 10, our stage is wood with slits in between each piece. Obviously, her heel got caught in between 2 pieces, and th piece of paper fell through.

Due to the current commotion on stage, I can finally get a good look at out mentors.

First off, there is Mosule Rose, Lambell's 34-year-old father. He has cruel blue eyes, and only likes other rich people.

Next is Hawk, a 25-year-old man who won the 93rd Hunger Games when he was 17. He's cold, sullen rather aggressive, and he also has a temper. Everyone knows he drinks, but he isn't quite an alcoholic, like Haymitch.

Third is Bat, a 56-year-old woman who won the 60th Hunger Games when she was 16. (I hope I did the math right). She has grey hair with dark black tips, dark brown, almost black eyes, and tan skin. She is quiet, and is always remembering things, but sometimes you can get her attention.

Zolt MacEnroe is next and last. She is energetic, happy, and strong. She doesn't usually think about her Games.

Finally, the slip has been retrieved. Olympia looks a bit frazzled, but she decides to get along with it and read the name.

"Dek Farland!"

This 6-year-old looks really, really confused. He slowly makes his way to the stage. I feel really bad. He is so little.

Olympia picks the final name. "Zach Ryans!"

I start to cry.

* * *

><p><span>Viktor Wayland POV:<span>

Zach is the simplest kid in 10. He has simple brown hair and simple brown eyes, and always wears shirts and jeans.

I am not nervous for me. I love my family and I'm nervous for them. I will protect them forever.

Olympia says, "Since our younger ladies went first, our older gentlemen will go first."

Great.

Olympia draws the first name. "Farley Pastle!"

A boy with dirty blond hair, grey eyes, and eerily pale skin walks up to the stage. He is shaking and keeps looking at someone in his crowd. He's wearing a button-down striped shirt and jeans. I notice that he is just 14. So young.

I will support things I like, but I don't exactly like these Games.

Olympia picks the final boy. "Wolf Waylandd!"

"I volunteer!"

Wait... hang on. What just happened?

Wolf was reaped and I volunteered.

I can't say I regret what happened.

* * *

><p><span>Mica Piprick POV: <span>

I know Viktor. He's nice, and kinda cute. He has shaggy, straight, light brown hair and green eyes. Even in his faded black dress pants and white T-shirt, he looks so cute!

Olympia picks out another name this time, the older girls. "Rowena Wayland!"

Rowena looks shocked, but quickly puts a braver face on. Then, she shoots a look of hatred into the camera.

I've always loved how she looks. she has dark brown, straight-ish wavy-ish hair that falls just past her shoulder blades and dark blue eyes that are almost indigo. She's wearing a knee-length dark brown dress and black flats. I don't think it looks great on her.

I am scared that Dek got reaped. I am loyal to him as a cousin, because I love him.

Olympia picks the final name. "Mica Piprick!"

Well, I'm nervous, but I guess I should have expected that.

Time to act confident.

* * *

><p><span>Farley Pastle POV:<span>

If I could see through my tears, I would probably think Mica was nice. She has auburn hair in a boy's haircut, a pixie cut, I think it's called, and one blue eye and one brown eye. She is wearing a denim skirt, a pine green tank top, and a green bandanna around her head like a headband. Around her neck is a leather cord with a heart-shaped piece of glass and a carved star on the end. It's pretty.

I sob through everything else that happens. I can't even see through my tears.

Mommy comes in. She immediately starts to cry as well. We just sit there for a minute crying.

Then, she takes a deep breath. "Farley, (sob) here. Take this for (sob) your token."

She holds out a spool of thread in her hand. She's probably used it. I immediately grab it.

We hug, and cry again.

And that's my last memory of her before she was taken away.

* * *

><p><span>Rowena Wayland POV: <span>

My family comes into the room where Viktor and I are in first. Mom, Wolf, and Fleur. Fleur kinda snuggles up in my lap, like the cute sister she is.

"I love you, Rowena. Please don't get hurt, OK? I hate it when people get hurt."

Then she runs off to hug Viktor.

Wolf come sup to me next. "Hey, Rowena?"

"Yes?"

"Check out what I did!"

I can't help but giggle. Wolf has dismantled... something electronic. I have no idea what it is, even. He should be from 3.

Mom comes over last. She gives me the special hugs that are simply indescribable.

Then, she clears her throat.

"Viktor, Rowena, since you are going into the Games, we made you these tokens."

Mom hands Viktor a rope necklace and me a leather necklace. Then, she gives each of us a half a wooden heart. Fleur gives me a wooden mockingjay charm and Viktor a wooden swan charm. Wolf gives each of us a wooden wolf.

"I hope you like them," Fleur says sweetly.

"I love it," I reply.

Unfortunately, the peacekeepers pick that moment to take my family out.

I get so mad. Mad at the Capitol. Mad at the Games. I start punching the pillows in the room.

"Rowena, calm down!" Viktor says. I breathe, and sit next to him.

* * *

><p><span>Dek Farland POV:<span>

I have a lotta family. I have one big brother. His name is Paul. I also have four big sisters, but I like Xana best! Mica, my cousin, also has three big brothers, Lee, Nico, and Hill. They're nice.

My siblings come up to me. Xana gives me a huge hug.

"Dek, will you come back?"

"Of course! Mica and I will be back soon. Why won't we?"

"Never mind."

Paul comes up to me. "Have fun, Dek. I'll see you when you get back."

"You too, Paul!"

Mom looks at Dad. "We didn't prepare him."

"He'll be fine. Mica will be with hi,."

"Prepare me for what?"

"Nothing," they both answer.

Paul asks Dad, "What about a token for him?"

"He has none. Since we are so well off and he has no tessarae, we thought he wouldn't need one."

"Great."

"Oh, Mica may lend him hers for a bit..."

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," they reply.

"We will miss you so much. " my Mom says.

"Yeah," Dad echoes.

Xana goes over to talk to Mica for a bit. I love all my family. I talk to my cousins, too, before the man in the big white suit comes in and my family leaves.

I go over to Mica.

"Where are we going?"

"To play special Games for the Capitol."

"Oh."

* * *

><p><span>Alain Fennor POV: <span>

My family comes in first. My loving parents and annoying brother.

Mom goes straight to hug me. "Oh, Alainnie, I will miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you too, Mommy!"

Dad approaches me. "Alain, you know I always preferred your brother, but I will miss you a bit."

"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot, coming from you."

Cox comes over. "Bye, Alain."

"Bye, Cox."

"You know, if I were in the Games, I would win! I'd do best of all!"

And he ruffles my hair, and pokes me a few times. He annoys me so much sometimes.

"Alain, here. For your token."

Mom hands me her silver necklace.

"Really?"

"Yes. I know that it could get lost. But it would be worse than losing you."

She gives me a hug. It's so warm and nice.

Dad gives me a careful hug, but I know that's the best I'll get from him.

Cox punches me and ruffles my hair.

Then, a Peacekeeper comes in and takes my family out.

Next, my friends come in. Mick is 13, and he always protects me from Cox. "Alain, please come back. I won't be able to protect you from Cox that way!"

"Yeah, but I also have to hope I come back."

Zirrelee hugs me next. "Alain, I wouldn't be able to lose someone else to the Games. You can't lose!"

Her big brother died in the Games.

"I'll try, Zirrelee, but I don't have complete control over that."

She smiles. I can make people smile easily.

"Hey, Alain, what will you do if you win?" Mick asks.

"I don't know. Maybe do some stuff with nature. I love nature."

He smiles.

Suddenly, the Peacekeeper comes in again. I hug Mick, and Zirrelee, and they leave.

The 8 of us are herded out to the train. Cameras await us. I sweetly smile.

When we get on the train, I blink a few times. Those flashes really hurt your eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>So, here are the tributes! Thanks to Mindnight Ink, Wobbe, carmencielle, Bowserboy129, frimil, and CharmyXcream14 for submitting these tributes!<strong>

**Honestly, I'm SO sorry this took 2 weeks. I wanted to get it up by last Friday, but I had a lot going on. So, I said to myself that I would finish it on Sunday. And I woke up at 6:15 and got home at 9:30 because I was in New York for a dance performance. Then, on Monday, my parents decided that we should do spring cleaning... Yeah.**

**This chapter would have been up sooner, but I needed to finish this author's note. Now, you might be wondering, why is a stupid author's note important? Read on.**

**So, in most stories, people have input on alliances. I initially thought that would be difficult for me, because I have so many tributes. But then I thought about it. There is a way.**

**For each tribute you have, please fill out a form that looks like this:**

**Tribute name, age, district**

**3 tributes I want on that tribute's team (name, age, district)**

**1.**

**2.**

**3.**

**3 tributes that I do not want on that tribute's team:**

**1.**

**2.**

**3.**

**I can't guarantee that everyone you want on your tribute's team will be on that team, and I can't guarantee that everyone you don't want on your tribute's team won't be on it. Then it wouldn't be fun.**

**Oh, and one more thing. If your tribute has a sibling, like, say Alex Brown, that sibling will automatically be on that person's team UNLESS THEY SPECIFICALLY SAY NOT TO. Now, LoveIsBlindness, if I were you, I'd be specific on whether you want the Hatch twins on the same team or not. Same for any other siblings who have sibling rivalry with each other.**

**Remember how I said that there would be no sponsor points this chapter? For every form you fill out you'll get 20 sponsor points.**

**Oh, and by the way, I repeat, if anyone has any ideas on what to do about train rides, please let me know.**

**Good luck!**

**-Golde031**


	19. Train Rides: Odd Districts

**OK, before we get started, I have a few things I want to talk about.**

**Number 1. There are probably a bunch of you who are really scared right now because there is a different title. I wanted to let you know that I just changed it and this is still the same story.**

**Number 2: Alliances. Maybe I wasn't clear before. In these Games, there are no ALLIANCES. There are TEAMS. And there are only 8 people per team. This means that A) NOBODY can go without an alliance and B) NOT ALL OF THE CAREERS WILL BE ON THE SAME TEAM. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I wanted to make sure you understand.**

**Number 3: Training Scores. I need scores form Wobbe, ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, BloomingRue, willbo, Jayfish, TributeSix, keeponrickin'inthefreeworld, and Pordo. Please get those to me ASAP.**

**Number 4. On a better note, I figured out the Train Rides. Here's how they will work:**

**Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 will be in this chapter, and D2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 will be after the chapter Moving, Part 2. So, there will be 1 POV from each district picked out of a hat. Here we go!**

* * *

><p><span>Mars Pyrros, D1 POV:<span>

I sink down into a chair by the TV. It's really comfy.

OK, Mars, I think. We are headed to the Capitol. Time to look at the other tributes and see if I can find their weaknesses. Like Dad told you to.

Hmm. Let's start with Nyx. He looks very quiet, but there's a cocky look in his eyes. I can't tell whether the quietness is that he's just quiet, or that he has a cold heart. That could be a weakness, though.

Next, Isaiah. Well, that's obvious. He's a whack-job. Where he got the idea to be king of the arena, I have no idea. I already hate him.

Tyranny. Hm. I've seen her around 1 a bit. I know that she laughs at everything Plus, she can't turn down a challenge. Yup, there you go.

Sparkle. Well, I know that she trains. But she always is in a tree, literally. That could hurt her; actually, that might be more of a help! But, that mean she doesn't do so much training...

Granite is the son of a victor, and is quite arrogant. But, he is, I think, the only person from my district who hasn't trained yet. Except maybe Isaiah. That could be a problem.

Goldstar has this evil look in her eyes, but the rest of her acts so happy! I am so confused as to why. I have a feeling that, once people figure it out, that'll be her weakness.

Auden is 5. Well, there you go! That's a weakness. She probably hasn't started training yet, and if she has, she probably didn't learn much of anything.'

"Tributes!" Lila yells. "Please come into the main area of the train car. Right where Mars is."

Everyone goes and comes around me.

"OK. Since we don't have a lot of rooms, you will have to have roommates. So, Isaiah with Nyx, Tyranny with Sparkle, Granite with Mars, and Goldstar with Auden. OK?"

Nyx doesn't look so happy with his roommate. For good reason. Tyranny and Sparkle don't look too thrilled, but not too annoyed. Goldstar and Auden seem a lot alike. I don't think they're too upset about rooming together. I see Goldstar smile at Auden, who smiles back. I look at Greick. He looks a bit annoyed.

"Why don't you check out your rooms?"

A few of us immediately head there. I've never seen anything so nice! Two beds with a night table in the middle. A huge closet with a lot of clothes. Awesome!

Greick comes in next. "You know I will win! Don't even bother trying!"

This is going to be a long ride.

* * *

><p><span>Apollo Mariner, D3 POV:<span>

Darren and I are sharing a room. Good. This way, I can protect him.

"Apollo?"

"Yes, Darren?"

"I'm scared. I don't wanna die!"

"Don't worry, Darren. I'll be there for you. To protect you."

"But what happens if YOU die?"

Sira knocks on the door. "Hihi!" she exclaims.

"Hi, Sira."

"Where are we going? What's going on?"

"We're going to play special games in a big, colorful, shiny place."

"Oh. That'll be fun!"

Sira is rooming with Deanna. I'm not sure if either of them is mad about it. She skips out.

"Here, Darren. I have an idea. Why don't we see who's nice from our district so that he/she can help you if I die?"

"OK. Can we ask Candella? I like her."

"All right."

We head out of our room and go down a few rooms to the room marked, "Older Girls". I knock on the door. Candella answers.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"Can we talk?" I ask.

"Sure," she tentatively says. We go into her room.

"So, Darren is paranoid."

"About the Games. He's scared that I'll die, because I said I'd protect him. And when that happens, He's scared nobody will protect him. Would you help him if I die?"

"I guess."

"Thanks," Darren says quietly.

We leave.

"See? That wasn't all that bad!"

* * *

><p><span>Lucy Evans, D5 POV:<span>

"I can't believe Mom and Dad are having another baby," Astrid says from the bed across from me. We managed to convince Andala and Syeira that we should share a room because we're sisters.

"I know, right! I hope it's a girl," I reply.

"I don't know. I think Mom and Dad want a boy, because they already have two lovely girls," Astrid says thoughtfully. "Anyway, what would you name him/her?"

"Oh! I know! It would be twins, a boy and a girl! And one would be Alexander and the other, Alexandra!"

"And our little siblings would kill our parents. Alex and Alex!"

"True. What about you?"

"Well, if it was a girl, I'd pick Bethany. I think it's pretty. And for a boy... what about Brynn?"

"That's a pretty name. And a bit more logical."

"Of course."

"All right, tributes! Lunchtime!"

Astrid and I head out to the dining room for lunch. There is this round piece of dough with red sauce and white shreds on top. Around it are bowls with different things in them; olives, peppers, round red meat.

"This is pizza," Light explains. "It's a favorite fast food in the Capitol. You can put your own toppings on it, if you want."

"What's the round red meat?" Cain asks.

"This here is pepperoni," Light adds.

I take a slice and put olives on it. It's really good! Soon enough, our mentor, Lyla, comes out.

"OK, guys, chop chop. We need to figure out what you are good at so you can get out of the Arena. Cain, start."

"Well," Cain responds, "I work well with technology, and I can read people."

"Haemon."

"Well, I'm witty and luring. But..." Haemon rolls up his pant leg. "My left leg is shorter than my right a bit."

"We can work with that. Astrid!"

"I'm fast and agile, and I can balance."

"Those will be useful. Syeira."

"Umm..."

"FASTER!"

"I'm good with martial arts and I come up with good strategies."

"Good. Cyei!"

"I'm stealthy," he says sweetly.

"That's a start. We'll work on it. Len!"

"I**have**a**lot**of**stamina**and**im**very**fast**."

"And a fast talker. Slow down! OK. Lucy!"

I'm cowering in my chair. I'm scared of her!

"Astrid. What's up with your sister?"

"Come on, Lulu. Just say what you're good at!"

"I'm small, so I can smush myself into tight spaces. And I'm faster than Astrid."

"OK. Andala!"

"I'm good at hiding and running."

"OK. We'll just have to work on finding weapons for you all."

She leaves as quickly as she came.

"You know," Light says, "She's tough, but she's a good mentor."

Let's hope.

* * *

><p><span>Shine Scott, D7 POV:<span>

I have to share a room with Danica.

Really.

She is so shy and timid. And I'm fearless.

"Shine! Johanna wants you!" Lila yells.

"OK. Coming."

I go out into the main room.

"Hi there, Shine."

"Hey."

"All right. So let's think about what you're good at."

"Well, I moved here from One 6 years ago, and I was training before, and my dad and brother made me keep training."

"Oh, so that means you're a Career."

"Basically. Except that I didn't train for too long at the Career Training Center in 1."

"All right. Let's get to your strengths. What do you think is your best weapon?"

"Knives, knives, knives."

"OK. Great! So you would be confident with any kind of knife of any size."

"Yup."

"But you can work with other weapons, right?"

"Yeah, anything but a bow and arrow. I am horrible with it."

"Ok, great. I guess that's it, unless there's anything else? Any fears?"

"I'm fearless."

"All right! Good luck, Shine!"

Dad told me to always listen to your mentors.

* * *

><p><span>Ivy Ember, D9 POV:<span>

Cassie is pretty nice. Sometimes she can be a bit upfront, but she has a beautiful smile.

"What do you think will happen during the Games?" I ask.

"Well, I just want to stay alive. Not much else matters."

"I think that it would be helpful to trust each other. Then you can work together better."

"Yeah, but you have to be careful, or your allies will backstab."

"True. But if I thought someone could help me get out of the arena, I would trust them."

"Remember, though. Never ally with someone from 1, 2, or 4. That could get you bad."

"A 5 or 6-year old could get me? I doubt that! Look, regardless of what happens, I'm going to fight. Let's switch topics. What's your life like back home?"

"I have a big sister named Cassandra, and she teases me a lot. But, usually, I have a good life. You?"'

"I have a big sister named Cassia. She's really helpful."

"That must be nice. It gets confusing in our house. We have to wait until out parents finish the name to respond!"

"But I grew up without my Dad. You have one."

"So I guess every house has its' pros and cons.

"Yeah, I guess."

I like talking to Cassie.

* * *

><p><span>Quiinn Jones, D11 POV:<span>

We are sitting around the dinner table. Seeder and Dallas are talking, Rue is discussing something with the girls. I decide to strike up a conversation with Jaren.

"Hey, Jaren."

"Yup?"

"How are you?"

"A bit homesick. You?"

"I miss all of my little siblings. I have 3: Ricka, Ari, and Hannass. I want to win so Hannass won't have to take any tessarae. You?"

"Nope, just me and my loving parents."

"All right guys, listen up!" Rue says. We all quiet down.

"In a few minutes," she continues, "we will be watching the recap of the reapings. What I would like you to do is write down notes on the tributes. This way, you can keep track of your competition. I have a notepad for each of you, but Asa, you have one, right?"

He nods politely.

"OK. So, what I want you to do is put down a few people who would be threats, a few who won't, and a few who you want to ally with. If you want, and I do encourage this, take notes on as many tributes as you can. This will give you a better idea later on. OK?"

We all nod.

"Here are your notepads. When you're done eating, go and sit on the couch."

Rue passes out 8 different colored notebooks. Mine says "Composition" on the front. I wonder why.

I go to sit on the couch. I really do want to get home to Hannass.

"Is everyone ready?" Rue asks once we are all seated. We nod.

"So let's go."

She turns the TV on.

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER!<strong>

**I couldn't show you the Reaping Recap here because we have another chapter to go until we watch it.**

**Anyway, did you notice how much faster I got this chapter up? This is because it was a lot easier than the reapings. Anyway, we have a quite a few more chapters before the Games, so bear with me.**

**Anyway, I promise that each tribute, even Bloodbath ones, will have a POV before the Games. Don't worry, I have a plan.**

**Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Please remember that I'm still wide open to input on alliances.**

**Also, here are the Sponsor point questions! Because Passover and Easter are coming up, I decided to put questions about them.**

**Question 1**

**Category: District 10 Reapings**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Question: What flower is all over Lambell's outfit?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Passover**

**Number of Points: 5 points per plague**

**Question: Name as many of the 10 plagues as you can.**

**Question 3**

**Category: Easter**

**Number of Points:**

**Question: What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Easter?**

**I hope you like this chapter. I'm on spring break, so I will be able to update a lot of chapters! Next, we will be revisiting the Emeralds and meeting Ruby's daughter! See you then!**

**By the way, check out Gamemaker Allie's story. I'm trying to get her to write another chapter! Please encourage her!**

**That's all. See you soon!**

**-Goldie031**


	20. Interlude: Suppertime

**Well, here is our next chapter, where we are revisiting the Emeralds. I don't have a lot to say, except for sponsor point answers.**

**1. Roses**

**2. Blood, frogs, lice, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of the firstborn. The fourth plague is debated. Some say wild animals and others say flies. Either, but not both, was acceptable.**

**3. It is a symbol of fertility.**

**I hope you like the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"I give up!"<p>

Ruby Emerald threw down the papers she was holding, making them fly all over the room. She and Amethyst had been working for hours, since they'd been given the final list of tributes, on coming up with the perfect teams, but it was just taking way too long.

"OK. Why don't we leave this for now, go home, have dinner, watch the reaping recap, and then work on this tomorrow," Amethyst said calmly and sensibly.

"All right. Your house, right? I'll bring over Cerise."

"Got it."

Ruby leaves the room and heads to the complex next to the main Games center. In that complex are homes for some of the top government officers, including the president and Head Gamemaker. On the second floor are three suites: One for the President, one for the Head Game maker, and one for an adviser. The Presidential suite is right in the middle.

When Ruby gets home, she is greeted by her husband, Mike Wonka, with a kiss. His brother, Ike, married Amethyst.

"Hi, honey. How was work?"

"A bit stressful. Working on the teams for the Quell."

"Aha. Can you try this for me? It is a candy that changes fillings with each bite."

"Sure."

Mike pops a piece of candy into her mouth. He is a chocolate maker.

"Caramel. Raspberry. Mint. Tastes good! You did well this time."

"Great. Gotta go. Ike told me that the main chocolate room broke down. Not good."

"Good luck. Don't forget to watch the reaping recap wherever you are when it happens. I'll take Cerise over to Amethyst's."

"She's in her room. She came home from school and said that she had an exhausting gym period. She went right to her room and picked up a book."

"I hope she's OK. I'll check on her."

"Love you."

"You too."

Ruby heads to the light pink bedroom on the side of her house, one of 5 bedrooms in each suite. Three of the other four are empty, but Ruby wants to fill them.

Ruby knocks on the door. Cerise is fast asleep. Ruby enters and rubs Cerise's back. She groggily wakes up.

"Mommy."

"Hello there, honey. You took a little catnap, didn't you."

"Well, we played obstacle course in gym today, and we had to run it like 2000 times! It was so exhausting."

"Well, we're going to Aunt Amethyst's for dinner tonight, so let's get dressed, OK?"

"All right!"

Cerise dons a light yellow sundress and white sandals. "Ready!"

Ruby leads Cerise out of her room and over to Amethyst's suite next door. Inside, it's chaos. Lapis is chasing Cobalt, who took his favorite basketball. Lavender is reading a comic book, and Violet is tugging on Lavender's skirt, repeatedly asking to play with her. Cerise heads over to Violet.

"Hi."

"Hihi, Cerise. Do you wanna play princesses with me?"

"Sure!"

The two run off.

"You know, it's times like these that I'm glad we both had a 6-year-old," Amethyst remarks.

"Agreed," Ruby says.

A few minutes later, she asks, "Shall we round up the monkeys?"

"Sure."

"DINNER!" They yell. 5 pairs of feet run into the dining room, each taking a seat.

"What's for dinner?" asks Lavender.

"Steak," Ruby says.

Cobalt starts to cry. "Me no like steak!"

"And hot dogs for Cobalt," Amethyst finishes.

He smiles and claps his hands.

"OK, guys, so here's the deal. After dinner, we watch the recap of the reapings, and then, we need to get to bed, because we all have big days tomorrow. Cerise, you're going to help me welcome my new adviser, Greg Kelck. He has a daughter named Elodie that's 6, like you. And, Lav, he has a 12-year-old son named Toni." Ruby says.

Lavender sighs, and Lapis rolls his eyes.

"Lapis, you will be in charge of watching Cobalt tomorrow, and Violet and Lav, you two will be helping welcome the tributes to the Capitol, OK?" Amethyst adds.

All of the kids nod.

"Great. Now, how was your day, Lav?" Amethyst asks.

"I got an A on my math test, my science test, and my reading test!"

"Good for you! Looks like you got your Dad's smarts and not mine. Lapis?"

"Well, we learned about science today, and it really interested me. I kinda want to be a scientist now."

"Well, always pursue your dreams, Lapis. Vi and Cerise?" Ruby adds.

"We had to run this HUGE obstacle course today! It took FOREVER!" Cerise announces.

"Well," Violet interjects, "That's only because YOU failed it the first six or so times!"

Lapis stifles a laugh.

"And what did you do in school today, Cobalt?" Ruby asks.

"Me play with friend," Cobalt answers. "She nice and pretty. Me wanna marry her."

Both younger girls giggle.

"But Cobalt, you're too young to get married!" Violet says matter-of-factly.

"When me get older."

"OK, Cobalt," Cerise says. "But, remember, you still have a long time. Don't make a decision too early."

Cobalt thinks about that for a second.

"All right, guys, time to watch the recap, OK? Are you ready?"

Everyone goes to the couch. Amethyst and Ruby sit in the middle, and everyone else sits around them. Ruby turns the TV on.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? I like how it turned out.<strong>

**Anyway, the next chapter might take a while, because I have to summarize all of the reapings into one chapter. But, I'll get started on it, and the we'll see. I've decided to put one sponsor question in interludes like this one.**

**Category: Train Rides**

**Number of points: 20**

**Question: What does Rue ask the District 11 tributes to do while watching the reaping recap?**

**I can't wait to keep on going with the story. See you in a bit!**

**-Goldie031**


	21. Reaping Recap: Thoughts and Tears

**All right, everyone, here we are with the reaping recap. This will be a pretty long chapter. As usual, I have a few things to touch on before we start.**

**1. Sponsor point answer: Take notes on the tributes.**

**2. I am still wide open to input on alliances. If anyone has anything specific, let me know.**

**3. TRAINING SCORES! I need from Wobbe, ChainsAndWhipeExciteMe, BloomingRue, Jayfish, TributeSix, keeponrockin'inthefreeworld,and Pordo. Please get those to me as soon as possible.**

**4. Bios. I am working on them, and, when I finish them, I will post them in place of the tribute list.**

**That's all! I hope you like the chapter! Some of the district names on the screen were taken from Acereader55's story, 207th Hunger Games. These will be more vague than the actual reapings, but this is just to remind you of each tribute and his/her age and appearance.**

* * *

><p>Twelve.<p>

Twelve is a very important number.

There are 12 hours in half a day.

There are 12 months in a year.

There were 12 tribes of Israel, from Jacob's 12 sons.

There are 12 inches in a foot.

In mathematics, 12 is a sublime number

There are 12 Olympians and there were 12 labors of Hercules.

A zodiac has 12 signs.

According to the song, there are 12 days of Christmas.

There are 12 districts in Panem.

Twelve trains are rocketing toward the Capitol, the shining star of Panem. All across the country, television sets turn on to see how most of the people on those trains ended up there. The commentators announce, "Hello everyone! Welcome to our recap of the reapings! Since there are so many tributes, we advise you pay close attention to this!"

District 1 appears on the screen in gold cursive handwriting. Then, a shot of D1's reapings stage shows with their 5 mentors. Cashmere, Gloss, and Sparkle, siblings, Vane, and Josan. Lila, the escort, approaches a bowl labeled, "Younger Girls," and announces, "We will start with our younger ladies."

The first name is drawn. "Auden Walters!"

A trembling 5-year-old with dark brown, curly hair and dark green eyes bursts into tears. She tries to run, but to no avail.

The second name is drawn. "Glimmer Lawrence!"

"I volunteer!" comes from the 8-year-old section. A girl with braided blonde hair and blue eyes makes her way to the stage, and says, overly sweetly, "My name is Goldstar McQueen, and I am honored to be a part of the 100th Hunger Games." This makes most of the tributes on all 12 trains want to gag.

Next, Lila announces, "Now, on to our younger male tributes."

The first name is drawn. "Mars Pyrros." An 8-year-old boy with shortish blond hair and blue eyes approaches the stage with his mouth wide open.

The second boy, 11-year-old "Greick Sheedor", looks quite mad as he approaches the stage. He has dirty blond hair and brown eyes.

The older girls are called up. First is "Kayla Lawrence!"

Well, luck of some sort seems to have struck the Lawrence family. Two of the girls were reaped, and two were volunteered for. The volunteer has hair that is nearly black and green eyes. She announces herself as Tyranny Bomber.

Next, Emerald DeFontaine is reaped and Sparkle, her 15-year-old sister, volunteers in her place. Sparkle has blonde hair with copper highlights and blue eyes. Fae Springer from 11 writes in her notebook, "Her name is definitely left open for puns. Maybe for the interviews?"

It is time for the older boys. The first name, "Lapis Lazuli", is drawn, and immediately, an 18-year-old with dark hair and brown eyes volunteers. He says his name is Nyx Heyton.

The final boy from 1, Onyx Lee, is reaped, and is volunteered for by a 17-year-old boy with brown hair and eyes. He announces, "My name is Isaiah Barnabas, and I will be leader of the arena!" Multiple tributes all across the trains are either confused, roll their eyes, or think this is the funniest thing they've ever seen.

District 2 appears on the screen in grey marble and crumbles down. The town square appears. The four mentors, Brutus, Enorbia, Zareth, and Mesa are on stage. Lucy LaMerai picks the first name from the older girls, "Sally Rider!" Naturally, a volunteer approaches from the 18-year-old. She, with white blond hair and dark brown eyes, announces herself as Acacia Andalu.

The second name is picked. "Kyra Willow!" Immediately a girl with shoulder length blond hair with streaks and brown eyes with blue specks volunteers from the 16-year-old section. She says her name is Whisper Willow.

They move on to the older boys. The first name is picked. "Sammy Schlifer!" Immediately, 2 boys volunteer, both from the 16s section. The first introduces himself as Emmet Westercamp. He has blond hair and blue eyes. The other boy has light brown hair that always sticks up and hot chocolate brown eyes. He says his name is Thad Wellington. He looks at Whisper like he loves her. In the D2 train, Thad taps Whisper's hand, and she gingerly holds it.

Now, Lucy moves on to the younger girls. The first girl, Smash Hatch, is selected from the 11s. She has long black hair and dark brown eyes. She looks like she's thinking, that's not supposed to happen!

The second girl, Belle Adore, is picked from the 7s. She looks so sweet and innocent, with her platinum blond hair and blue eyes. She looks shocked and starts to cry.

Finally, it's time for the younger boys. The first name, Scott Marx, is picked, and, immediately, a boy volunteers from the 11s. He has curly black hair and dark brown eyes, and introduces himself as Crash Hatch, obviously Smash's twin. The other two sets of twins in the Games, the Pines and the Adrinas, have very different opinions on them. The Pines want to try to avoid them, and the Adrinas think they may be useful allies.

Secondly, a boy named Barlen Wickeher is selected at age 8. He has red hair and blue eyes.

The words District 3 appear in yellow lights, showing beautiful cursive. The stage appears with the mentors, Bolts Mariner, Wiress, and Beetee. The escort, Gloss Mera, draws the first name, from the younger boys bowl, Darren Catalyst. The boy from the 9-year-old section has black, curly hair and bright blue eyes, making others think that he looks a bit like Crash. He looks like he is about to cry.

Secondly, the name Chip Volts is drawn, and he is immediately volunteered for by another 9-year-old boy. He has brown, floppy hair, and dark brown eyes with gold specks. He announces that his name is Apollo Mariner, and steps back with his friend.

Next, Gloss moves on to the younger girls. The first name picked is Deanna Campbell. An 11-year-old girl with light blond hair and hazel eyes starts sobbing. Secondly, a 5-year-old named Sira Kawerky is selected. She has light brown hair and dark blue eyes, and looks confused.

Gloss moves to the older boys. The first name picked is Danny Robin. An 18-year-old boy with jet-black hair, steel-blue eyes, and glasses approaches the stage in shock. The second one, Wreck Swider, comes from the 17s section. He has short, curly, dark brown hair and green eyes, and looks oddly calm.

Finally, it's time for the older girls. First to be selected is 15-year-old Candella Anders, who has brown hair and dark brown eyes. Last to be selected is 13-year-old Arabella Rae, with her long light brown-ish, dirty blond-ish hair and chocolate brown eyes. She also tries to remain calm.

District 4 appears in a normal handwriting. Thad comments, "That's Comic Sans MS!" Everyone on his train looks at him like he's crazy. Then, a wave comes in and washes it away.

Sam I. Am, the escort, draws a name from the younger ladies bowl: Marynna Breck. The girl from the 11s has copper hair and greenish-blue eyes, and is shaking and bouncing. Secondly, there is a volunteer with long, wavy, platinum blond hair and dark, emerald green eyes. She runs to the stage from the 10s, and announces herself as Bellona Adrina.

Sam moves on to the younger boys. As soon as the name, Soard Fisch, is drawn, a 10-year-old boy volunteers. He has short, curly, platinum blond hair and dark, emerald green eyes. He announces himself as Acestes Adrina, and most of the kids in the audience in 4 gasp for some reason.

The name Toby Darya is drawn next. He has dark brown hair, and sea-green eyes, and looks incredibly scared as he approaches the stage from the 10s.

It is now time for the older girls. First to be selected is 14-year-old Rye-Ann Brooke, the only tribute so far with brown eyes rather than green, as well as brown hair. She looks quite confused. Afterwards, Cassandra Tyme is selected. She has light brown hair and green eyes, and tries to look brave. Cassiopea from 9 can't help but think of her big sister, Cassandra.

Sam finally moves on to the older boys. Two boys volunteer one after the other. The first volunteer, Moss Darya, has dark brown hair and sea-green eyes. He runs to comfort Toby, obviously his brother.

The other volunteer is Kole Devon. He has shaggy dark brown hair and unusual grey eyes for someone from 4. When he volunteers, many of the people start to sigh. Apparently he is quite popular.

A sun starts to rise on screen. Visible in the center of the sun are the words, "District 5," obviously a reference to their work with solar power. Little Sira Kawerky and Holly Brown both think the sun is SO PRETTY!

The first little boy picked by Light Rae, the escort, Len Supin, has spiky blond hair and electric blue eyes that seem gigantic. That probably has something to do with his glasses. He tries to run to his mom from the 7-year-old section, but it doesn't work.

The next boy picked is Grazz Lithman, and is volunteered for by an angelic-looking boy with golden curls and big blue eyes with long eyelashes. He is six, and tells the escort, Light Rae, "My name is Cyei All, sir. That kid was from my orphanage, sir. I couldn't let him go to the Games, sir," accidentally calling the escort sir and not ma'am.

Next up are the younger girls. First to be selected is 9-year-old Lucy Evans. She has pretty hair that looks darkish red in sunlight and auburn in the shade, as well as blue eyes. Second is 10-year-old Andala Chayne. She has blond hair and hazel eyes, and looks like she's in shock.

Next to be reaped are the older boys. First to be picked is 17-year-old Cain Mohen. He has black hair and dark brown eyes. He looks shocked as well. Afterwards, an 18-year-old named Haemon Nightshade volunteers. It is clear where he is, because there is a 3-meter circle around him. He has black hair and unusual violet eyes.

Finally, it is time for the older girls. First to be selected is Glarity Lace, but she is quickly volunteered for by a blue-eyed brunette with blond streaks from the 16-year-old section. She announces herself as Astrid Evans, and Lucy clings to her waist. Lastly, a 16-year-old named Syeira Laviah is reaped. She has midnight black, waist-length hair and black eyes, and she looks quite stony faced.

District 6 appears on screen in yellow-and-black block letters. The stage there appears, with the escort, Seleazen Larker. He gets started with the older girls. The first girl reaped, 16-year-old Janael Smythe, has pale-blonde, shoulder-length, choppily cut hair and green eyes. She has a nervous breakdown and starts screaming and yelling. Secondly, 16-year-old Riley Tour is selected. She has blue eyes and jet black hair with one red streak. Her emotions change from shock to terror to sadness to anger very quickly, and then she tries to hide them, with little luck.

Seleazen moves on to the older boys. First, an unusual volunteer volunteers from the 16-year-old section. He has boring brown hair and brown eyes, but he is hopping around the stage crazily, yelling, "I'm Cage Newton! I get to act on TV!" Many younger tributes start to giggle. Secondly, 16-year-old Fallen Dean is reaped. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

Next, Seleazen has to read a note that is handed to him, as there is only one more reaping ball on stage. "Unfortunately, one reaping ball was broken in transit. As a result, we have all of the slips for the younger kids in here. Pink slips for the girls, and blue slips for the boys." Darren from 3 says, "Well, that's ironic. They're the transportation district!" Everyone on the District 3 train giggles.

First to be selected is a blue slip, "Ty Leowne!" An 11-year-old with pale, dirty-blond hair, sea-green eyes, and glasses that look broken walks to the stage as if he is in a daze. Then a pink slip with the name Renee Leowne is selected. But, then, a voice comes from the 9-year-old section: "...no, no, no, no, NO NO NO! I VOLUNTEER!" A simple girl with brown hair and brown eyes runs up to the stage.

Next, a blue slip is selected. The selected 6-year-old, Wesley Goode, throws a temper tantrum. He has shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and freckles. Finally, a 10-year-old girl named Shirly Tranner is selected after the accidental drawing of a blue slip. She has black hair and brown eyes, and looks sad.

District 7 appears in brown that looks like bark, and sprouts green leaves that turn red, orange, and yellow, and then fall off, revealing a picture of the stage. The escort, Jonas, with his piercing blue eyes, begins with the younger boys. First to be selected is 11-year-old Colin Villanueva. He has dirty blond hair and sharp blue eyes, like Jonas's, and he is sulking. Second is 5-year-old Xander Briant. He has blond hair and light eyes. He looks... oddly excited, probably because he has no idea what's going on.

Next are the younger girls. First is 11-year-old Lila Flemings. She has golden, curly hair and misty blue eyes. She puts her arm around the little boy. Second is 10-year-old Oakline Sint. She has plain blond hair and blue eyes, but, there is something different about her. Her reaction clearly shows that she's deaf.

Coming up next are the older boys. After the reaping of Aspen Flemings, two boys volunteer in quick succession. The first one, 16-year-old Eagle Sterling, has black hair and green eyes. The second, 18-year-old Creig Donovan, has dirty blond hair and blue eyes.

Moving onto the older girls. First to be reaped is 15-year-old Danica Redmond, who has firetruck red hair and blue eyes. Second is a volunteer in 18-year-old Shine Scott. She has reddish-brown hair and green eyes, and has the look of a Career. Tyranny and Nyx from District 1 vaguely remember her; it is probably obvious that she moved to 7. Fae notes that this is yet another pun worthy name, and groans.

District 8 appears in a wide range of colors and patterns, and then all the scraps fall down, revealing the stage... and the crazy escort. Raina Blue apparently got a concussion on the train last year, and altercated herself to look like a rainbow. She decides to pick all 8 slips, shuffle them, and read them out in a random order.

First selected is 11-year-old Trinity May Belle, making her cousin Marianne from 11 burst into tears. Even though she knew Trinity was reaped, it is still difficult to see in person. Trinity has wavy brown hair and blue eyes, and looks disoriented.

Second is 17-year-old Alex Brown. He has messy blond hair and blue eyes, and looks like he's in shock.

Third is a 5-year-old, Holly Brown, with blond hair and hazel eyes. She looks incredibly confused.

Fourth is yet another 17-year-old, Gretchen Winchester. She has brown hair and hot cocoa-brown eyes. She has a poker face of sorts on.

Fifth is an unusual volunteer in 17-year-old Donnie MacDardo. He has dark brown hair and greenish-blue eyes, making him look more like someone from 4. He looks like, oh, well, I should have seen this coming.

Next is 9-year-old Jamie Wretherly. He has dark blond hair and honey brown eyes, and looks surprised, but shrugs it off.

Seventh is Kendyll Brown. He has messy brown hair and brown eyes., and has a frown on his face, obviously just beginning to recognize what the Games are.

Last is 16-year-old Lisa Brown. She has brown hair and green eyes, and is absolutely sobbing.

District 9 appears in a color like that of grain, and is sawed away by a scythe, showing the stage. The escort Alex Robinson, has hair thatlooks like a basketball and eyes that look like baseballs. He starts with the older girls. First to be selected is Ronette Chambers, but she is volunteered for by 11-year-old Cassiopea Erin Winters. That's a mouthful. She, thankfully, tells us to call her Cassie. Cassie has black hair and green eyes. Second to be reaped is 11-year-old Ivy Ember, who has long, dark brown, curly hair and green eyes. She is scared and shocked, and is literally frozen. A Peacekeeper has to pick her up and take her to the stage.

Alex moves on to the younger boys. Selected first is Sandy Cline, who is volunteered for by 7-year-old Tinny Mince. Nobody understands why he volunteered, as one of his legs is shorter than the other. Other than that, he has golden blond hair and blue eyes, and slowly limps to the stage. Second is 9-year-old Barley Harrison. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes, and looks like, oh, well.

It is now time for the older girls. Alex draws the name Maybell Flince first and foremost. The 15-year-old has copper-ish brown hair and dark blue eyes, and keeps a blank look on her face, not acknowledging anyone. Second is another volunteer in 16-year-old Poise Caesurea. She has dark brown hair that is nearly black and grey eyes.

Finally, it is time for the older boys. First is yet another volunteer in 17-year-old Conall Carteiar. He has blond hair and abnormal eyes which are green with red, yellow, and blue flecks in them. He takes the place of his younger brother. Second is 14-year-old Sen Arylian, with thick, straight, black hair and olive eyes, he looks like he could be from the seam in 12. Andala Chayne from 5 notes the abnormal number of volunteers from District 9, and gets a tiny bit worried.

District 10 appears in a black and white cow pattern in block letters, and then literally runs off of the screen like a cow. This reveals the stage with the mentor, Olympia Washington. She starts with the younger girls. 9-year-old Alain Fennor has black hair and brown eyes, and tries to look strong for the cameras. Second is 5-year-old Lambell Rose, daughter of one of District 10's victors and granddaughter of the mayor. She has pale blond hair and pale blue eyes.

Olympia moves onto the younger boys, but her heel gets caught in between two of the slits on stage, and the piece of paper falls through. A few tributes laugh at this. Finally, the paper is retrieved. 6-year-old Dek Farland makes his way to the stage, looking confused. he has big brown eyes and auburn hair. Then, Zach Ryans is reaped. The 11-year-old has brown hair and brown eyes, and starts to cry when he heats his name.

Next, it is time for the older boys. First selected is a shaking 14-year-old named Farley Pastle. He has dirty blond hair and grey eyes. Second is Wolf Wayland, but he is volunteered for by his brother, 18-year-old Viktor. He has shaggy, light brown hair and green eyes.

Finally, the older girls are reaped. Selected first is 16-year-old Rowena Wayland, obviously Viktor's sister. She looks quite shocked, and she has dark brown hair and dark blue eyes that appear almost indigo.

A huge apple appears on the screen, hanging from a tree branch. Carved into it are the words "District 11", and it falls off, revealing the stage there. The escort, Goliath McKenny, makes most of the tributes really scared, due to his piercing blue eyes and army buzz cut. Goliath gets right down to business with the younger girls. The first girl picked, 9-year-old Marianne Belle, has blond hair and brown eyes. Many tributes have realized by now that she is related to Trinity. Trinity has burst into tears.

Second to be selected is 11-year-old Fae Springer. She has curly, strawberry-blond hair and unusual golden, honey colored-eyes. She is in shock.

As the girls are escorted backstage, Goliath swiftly moves onto the younger boys. First to be reaped is 11-year-old Hallin Crow, who has brown hair and black eyes, and is holding is head down. Second is 10-year-old Jaren Combler, who has brown hair and grey eyes, and looks scared and shocked.

As the boys are escorted backstage, Goliath keeps going, and moves on to the older girls. First is 14-year-old Aileen Mellows, who has straw-berry blond hair and blue eyes. She looks upset and shocked. After her, 13-year-old Akizah Whisper volunteers. She has scraggly dark brown hair in braids and green eyes. She looks brave, but also a bit scared.

Finally, Goliath selects the older boys. First is 17-year-old Quiinn Jones, who has bronze hair and warm brown eyes. He looks shocked and scared, but is trying to smile through it. Finally is 17-year-old Asa Benedict, who has scruffy black hair, and is violently signing things. This means he is either deaf or mute.

District 12 appears in a coal-like pattern, and then is lit on fire and burns away to ashes. This is obviously to honor Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire.

The new District 12 escort, Ellessa Trinket, has a lot to live up to in her mother's legacy, but she is proud to be doing it. Ellessa follows in her mother's footsteps and starts with a group of ladies, the older ones. 17-year-old Brandi Hahn volunteers for the first girl reaped. She has long, dirty-blond hair and vibrant green eyes. Second, 15-year-old Alava Devlin is reaped. She has black hair and caramel-brown eyes, and look scared, but, for some reason, prepared at the same time.

Ellessa shifts over to the older boys. The two boys selected look very similar. Both Bolden Tain and Neil Xaroff have black hair and grey eyes, and both are 14 years old. The main difference between the two are that Bolden has pale skin and Neil has dark skin. Bolden isn't looking at anyone, while Neil looks scared.

It is now time for the younger girls. Ellessa first selects 11-year-old Sadie Wood, who has short red hair and misty grey eyes. She looks really scared, and starts frantically looking around, but once she gets to the stage, Brandi calms her down. Afterwards, 8-year-old Song Pine is selected. She has sandy brown hair and grey eyes, and is frozen in fear.

Ellessa finally moves on to the younger boys. First is 5-year-old Mason Samuel Kent, who has curly dark brown hair and light, clear blue eyes. He starts crying and attaches himself to his dad, but the Peacekeepers take him to the stage. Finally, Ellessa draws a name, but a volunteer shoots his hand up from the 8-year-old section. He has sandy brown hair and grey eyes, and announces himself as Robin Pine.

Boy, was that a way to end with a bang, thinks Sparkle from 1. And with that end, the TV sets all across Panem turn off. The tributes on the trains are herded off to bed.

Xander Briant of District 7 is confused. When his sister comes in to say goodnight, he asks her, "Lila, where are we going?"

Lila gently answers, "We are going to a place called the Hunger Games. We will have to fight to the death."

Xander bursts into tears. Lila rubs his back until he falls asleep.

On the Disrtict 8 train, Trinity is worried. Will Marianne remember her? Will she be willing to ally? She worries for a while, and settles into a dreamless sleep.

Follow the train back to where it came from, District 8. In a house near the Mayor's, 6-year-old Elodie Kelck is getting ready for bed with he help of her big brother, 6-year-old Aaron. He brushes out her light brown, curly hair, making it fall right past her shoulders, and helps her into her light blue nightgown. He looks into her huge hazel eyes, and his heart melts. He adores her.

Aaron tucks her into her bed, and her parents come in to say goodnight. Elodie quickly falls asleep, and dreams about the Capitol, with the candy-colored buildings and the funny-looking people.

In that place, the Emerald sisters are each tucking their 6-year-old daughters into bed. Ruby turns of Cerise's light and closes the door. Cerise waits until she hears three quick knocks on the wall, and sits down beside the air duct. "Hey, Vi."

"Hiya."

The two sit and talk for about half an hour. Then, Cerise says, "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Yeah! I mean, we get to meet a new friend. And we have no school."

"I just hope I like her."

"Why wouldn't we?"

"True." Cerise yawns. "I'm tired. I need to go to sleep. Goodnight, Vi."

"Goodnight."

Cerise climbs into her bed and lays down, and almost immediately falls asleep.

And slowly but surely, the whole country follows suit.

* * *

><p><strong>Here you go! It's interesting that I could summarize 12 reaping chapters into around 4,000 words. Anyway, I hope you liked it.<strong>

**I have two important things for you. The first is that I have started to work on teams for the Games! I will PM you once I figure out where your tributes are and/or when I figure out who their allies are. If you find out that I didn't PM you, let me know.**

**Second, sponsor points. I will be having both a sponsor point contest and a sponsor point question. First, the question.**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 30**

**Question: What are the names of Ruby and Amethyst's husbands, what do they do, and what is so funny/ironic about that?**

**Now, the contest. I have 12 tributes that were sent to me specifically as bloodbaths. And, I didn't tell you who they are. Contest! Everyone will have 12 guesses as to who the bloodbaths are. For each correct tribute, you'll get 10 points. BUT. If you guess your own tribute that you sent in as a Bloodbath, it will not count, because you know who you sent in as a bloodbath.**

**I guess that's all for now. Keep your eyes open for Team PMs. The subject will say Teams. See you soon!**

**-goldie031**


	22. Interlude: Moving, Part 2

**All right, here is the next chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one. But, I wanted to give you guys some answers... to the sponsor points stuff.**

**Question: Mike and Ike Wonka are chocolate makers. This is ironic for two reasons: 1) Their last name, Wonka, comes from Willy Wonka, an incredible chocolate maker, and 2) Mike and Ikes are a type of candy.**

**As for the sponsor point contest, I am leaving that open for one more week, but I'll touch on that at the end of the chapter. I just want to get started! Remember, any input on allies is greatly appreciated.**

* * *

><p>"Elodie. Elodie, wake up!"<p>

"I'm tired. I don't wanna wake up!"

"Come on, Elodie. We're going to the Capitol!"

"OK."

I slowly get out of bed. Aaron helps me brush my hair again. "Do you want your hair up today, Elodie?"

"No."

"All right. I'll brush it out for you, and get the headband I set out with the dress last night. I also took off your necklace when I came in to check on you before  
>I went to bed. You forgot to take it off. Do you want to wear it?"<p>

I nod. He carefully puts it on my neck. It's cold again. Then, he helps me get into my dress. It is a dark blue sundress and a dark blue headband and black sandals. It is so pretty!

"Let's go get breakfast. Dad made eggs."

"OK."

I go downstairs. I see Cadee in a pretty sundress like mine, but pink. She is eating scrambled eggs with olives and cheese; our favorite.

"Hurry up and eat, girls," Dad says, "We're about to leave." I quickly eat a plate of eggs. Then, I hear the doorbell. It's my friend, Grace!

"Hi, Grace."

"I heard you're moving. I'll miss you so much."

"I'll see you again sometime, right?"

"Right."

She starts to cry. We hug, and she leaves. Suddenly, I hear a whirring of some sort.

"What's that, Dad?"

"That's the hovercraft, sweetie. It's coming to pick us up."

A big purple thing lands in front of our house. A bunch of men in white outfits come out. One goes to talk to Dad."

"What do you need?"

"We need all of our suitcases and our kids' furniture in the hovercraft."

"OK. You heard him, guys. Let's go!"

"Elodie, show a few of them your room."

"OK!" I energetically say, and run up to my room. Aaron comes too.

"Take her furniture, so that, and that, and that... perfect." The men take all my furniture out of my room.

"Elodie, say goodbye to your room, OK?"

I wave goodbye. Then, Aaron leads me outside. I see a ramp leading up to the hovercraft. Aaron holds my hand and leads me on.

"Where can I take my sister to sit before the hovercraft takes off and while it's flying?" Aaron asks one of the men in white. He points to a room to our... um... left! That's our left! I'm still learning my lefts and rights.

Aaron takes me in. There are chairs, a couch, and a bed with another one on top. "Do you want to nap, Elodie? I'll wake you up when we get there."

"OK."

I lay down in the bed, and fall asleep.

"Elodie, wake up! We're here!"

I bound out of bed and run to the window. There are all of these sparkly buildings. It's so cool!

The hovercraft begins to fall. Oh, no! We're going to die! Then, it lands softly on a roof. Good, I'm safe!

The ramp comes out. Aaron lead me off. There is a woman with shiny red hair and green eyes and a girl about my age there.

"On behalf of my entire advisory committee, I would like to welcome you and your family to the Capitol. I am Ruby Emerald, the President."

"Hello," Daddy says. "I'm Greg, and this is my wife Helena. These are my children: Aaron in 16, Toni is 12, Cadee is 7, and Elodie here is 6."

"Well," the woman replies, "This is Cerise. She is 6 as well."

Cerise shyly waves. I wave back.

"Why don't we escort you down to your suite?" the woman asks.

"That would be nice," Daddy says.

"Oh, except for you, Helena. They need you in the remake center. All of the stylists are having a final meeting before the Chariot Rides tonight. They need you now. Jones!" She calls. Another man in white steps forward.

"Jones, escort Helena to the remake center. She will be the stylist for District 8. Hurry down so she can see the outfits and understand how hair, nails, and makeup should be done."

Mommy bends down to hug me and my siblings. "I'll see you guys later, OK?"

"Bye, Mommy!" I say happily. The man in white takes Mommy away.

"The rest of you can follow me," the woman says. She takes us down a lot of stairs. Then, she opens the door to what she calls a suite. There are so many rooms! It looks a bit smaller than our house, though.

"Kids, pick your rooms."

I run and look around. Finally, I pick one. It's blue, and it looks like I'm actually under the sea! The bed is blue and so is all the furniture. They even look like they have fish on them! My blanket even has a huge fish! I love it.

Aaron comes in. "Wow, Elodie, you got a pretty cool room. What does this button over here do?" he says, pointing to a big blue button that I didn't notice before. He presses it, and, suddenly, it looks like my room is moving! There are fish swimming around and something is moving on the ceiling.

"What's that," I ask Aaron, pointing to it.

"If you eve go swimming, and go all the way under the water, and then look up, that's what it would look like. I'll show you a picture of it sometime."

"Oh. Cool!"

The little girl comes into my room. She has red hair and blue eyes.

"Hihi," she says.

"Hi."

"Do you wanna play dress-up with em? We could be princesses."

"OK. Let me ask my Daddy."

I run out of my room. "Daddy, can I play princesses with Cerise at her house?"

"Sure, honey."

"Yay!" We run out of the suite and go to hers, which is right next door. We go to her playroom. She has this HUGE chest with all these princess clothes in it. Cerise and I spend hours there! I like Cerise already.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? I like this chapter a lot. This connects Elodie with the Emeralds. We'll see next the other reason why they're all there next chapter.<strong>

**OK, so, first, the good news. I am making a lot of progress on teams. I think I've placed 31 tributes already! That's good. Now, once I come up with your tribute's team, I'll PM you.**

**Now, sponsor point stuff. The bloodbath contest is still open, but I made a mistake. Instead of 12 bloodbaths, there are 13. So, if you already guessed the bloodbaths, you can guess a 13th person. if not, then you get 13 guesses and not 12. I'll leave this contest open for a while. For my other sponsor point question:**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Question: What did Fae Springer notice about the names of two of the tributes, and which tributes were they?**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll work on another one quickly. Have fun reading!**

**-goldie031**


	23. Next Stop: The Capitol!

**Guys, I'm an idiot.**

**I was working on this chapter, and it was done. then I realized that I skipped a chapter. Solution: I'll publish the chapter that was supposed to go before this one after it, and the story will just go a bit out of order. KK? Let's start the real chapter now.**

* * *

><p><strong>Here we go again! Another chapter. First, the sponsor point answer. Fae Springer noticed that the names of Shine Scott and Sparkle DeFontaine were very pun-worthy.<strong>

**OK, so, before I start the chapter, I have a question. It recently came to my attention that I have a reader from Israel. If you are that reader, then would you please PM me?**

**Anyway, for this part, I am NOT doing ALL of the districts. I'm only doing a few, but it will be third person limited omniscient, looking over Lavender Emerald's shoulder as she guides Violet along. Now, this chapter will greatly affect the rest of the story and set off an unusual chain of events. So, here goes nothing.**

* * *

><p>Lavender knew better.<p>

She knew that Violet was not to be trusted with anything important. Why her mother had asked Violet to hep was beyond her. This was HER job! She guessed her parents were trying to teach her sister responsibility, but Lavender was simply aggravated.

Her job was simple. When a train came in, press the corresponding button. How in the world could Violet mess THIS up?

"Honk, honk!'" The first train was coming! Lavender leaned her head out to see which train it was. After the Third Quell, President Snow assigned each district a color to make things easier. It was a white train, so District 1. Lavender thought Greick was kind of cute.

When the train doors open, Nyx comes out first. He modestly waves. He is shoved aside by Isaiah, who starts to wave like a king. He is eating up the cameras, but decreeing like a king. Goldstar and Auden edge out behind him and wave sweetly, like the sweet little girls they are.

Tyranny comes out smirking. Meanwhile, Sparkle looks confident. Greick obviously looks arrogant, and Mars looks thoughtful.

Next comes the purple district 8 train. She quickly pushes the button and watches to see what happens.

First to come out was 5-year-old Holly Borwn. Violet perked up, and waved hello to her. Holly came over.

"Hi, I'm Holly," she said.

"I'm Violet."

"Do you want to play together?"

"Yeah!"

"Come on, Holly," said her brother, Alex. "We have to go."

"Come with me, Violet."

"Sure, Holly."

The two head out, but Lavender grabs the collar of Violet's shirt. "Oh, no you don't, Violet. Mom needs you, remember?"

"Right. We can play later. 'Bye!"

"'Bye!"

Lavender shook her head. This is not good.

As the next few trains ran in, Lav didn't pay any attention to the people, just to the trains. She was too oblivious and scared to think. What would happen if her parents found out?

Still before lunch, the final train, a dark brown one from District 11, comes in. Lav is still not paying attention, but she pushes the 11 button.

Suddenly, 9-year-old Marianne comes over and pokes her. "Are you OK?" she asks.

"Yeah," Lav replies, "just thinking."

"All right!"

The girl skips off to her friend, Fae Springer, and they head up to their floor.

Lavender knows what she has to do. She is too much of a goodie two-shoes to do anything other than what she's about to do. She runs over to the control building where she knows her mother and aunt are working. She zooms to her mother's office, as she knows the way like the back of her hand.

She sees the door, which is sparkly purple. She almost barges it, except that she knows that her mother HATES it when she does that. She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door.

"Who is it?" her mother asks.

"Lav."

"Come in, sweetie."

Lavender enters and sees her mother and aunt sitting at a table looking at paper after paper.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Well, I have bad news." She takes a deep breath. "Violet made friends with one of the tributes. Please don't kill the messenger."

* * *

><p><strong>Oop, cliffhanger! I had to do that. You'll have to wait until next chapter to see what happens!<strong>

**Anyway, I still need a few training scores. I'll be sending out another set of PMs tonight, but just for now, I'll let you know that I still need training scores from Wobbe, ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, BloomingRue, Jayfish, TributeSix, and Pordo. Any tributes from which I don't get scores from will become bloodbaths, so be quick!**

**Now for the sponsor point questions. I'll give you two.**

**Question 1**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Question: What is so cool about Elodie's room in the Capitol?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Politics**

**Number of Points: 30**

**Question: Which main candidates are still in the race?**

**One last thing. As you know, I am working really hard on teams. However, I am losing track of who I have or haven't PMed. So, next chapter, I will be reviewing the teams and revealing what I've figured out to everyone. Then, after the chapter, I'll recap. Got it?**

**I think that's all for now. See you in a few days!**

**-goldie031**


	24. Train Rides: Even Districts

**OK, so, here's the chapter that was supposed to be before the last chapter. Remember? So, here it is. Let me just touch on the sponsor point questions first.**

**1. It looked like she was actually under the sea.**

**2. Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Barack Obama, plus all of those independents.**

**Anyway, I wanted to get to the chapter, because I'm a little out of order and I feel bad. So, here goes nothing.**

* * *

><p><span>Whisper Willow, D2 POV:<span>

I think I'm glad I volunteered.

Am I?

On one hand, I can now find my true self.

On the other, I managed to obey my Dad's orders when I didn't want to do.

This is what I'm thinking as the train pulls away from D2. I am standing by the doors, watching it go by.

I don't realize that the train is speeding up, and suddenly, I fall flat on the floor. Then, I feel a sharp pain in my right ankle. I must have twisted it when I went down.

When I look up, I see that boy, Thad, looking up at me.

"Are you OK?" he asks.

"I hope so. I think I twisted my ankle."

"Here, let me help you to a seat."

He reaches out for my hand, and I grab it. I feel his muscle already.

Thad pulls me up, and puts his arm around my shoulder. I keep my weight on my left foot, and we move to the couch.

We start talking. We talk about our families. I tell him about Kyra and Zoey, about my father, about my training. He replies, telling me about his sister who picks on him, and his alcoholic aunt. He explains to me about his token, a woven bracelet his sister made when they were little. I tell him about my token, a woven bracelet Zoey made me. We talk and talk and talk, until one of the younger girls, Smash, comes in.

"It's time for bed, guys. Whisper, are you OK?"

"Yeah," I reply, "I just twisted my ankle."

"Do you want me to get Lucy?"

"No, I'm fine. Thad will help me get to my bed."

"OK! Feel better!" she says happily. She skips off to her room.

Thad puts his arm around me again, and he helps me over to my room. He then lays me down in my bed. Before I put my head on the pillow, he gives me a kiss on my cheek.

I think I'm in love.

* * *

><p>Marynna Breck, D4 POV:<p>

"Marynna, wake up!"

When I open my eyes, Sam, our escort is above me.

"Come on, we have a lot to do today."

I hop out of bed and put on a green dress. It's Emerald and really pretty.

"Marynna, let's go get breakfast, OK?"

I go out to the dining car. There are scrambled eggs there for us, some hot brown liquid, and some bread. I take some scrambled eggs and eat them up.

"Good morning, Bellona! How are you? It's a great morning."

"I'm not a morning person,." she says madly.

"But, it's so pretty out! The sun is shining and everything is sparkly."

"Stop TALKING!" she yells.

"Ona, please." Acestes says.

"But she's annoying me!" Bellona yells

"Calm down. Please," he says.

"I'll try," she says, taking a deep breath.

Finnick clears his throat. "All right, guys, here's the deal. When we reach the Capitol, you guys are going to your prep teams. They will be getting you guys ready for the chariot rides. Some of them are a bit weird. Others are calmer. Some will get on your nerves. But, I can tell you that you need to try to not get mad at them. 50 percent of getting your sponsors is looks. So, try not to get so mad at them, OK?" he says, sort of looking straight at Bellona. We all nod.

"OK. We're going to reach the Capitol in a little bit, so go back to your rooms, OK? We'll call you when we get there."

We go back to our rooms. I can't wait to get there.

Are we there yet?

* * *

><p>Leia Dean, D6 POV:<p>

Fallen wakes me up. He is such a great brother.

"We're going to reach the Capitol today, Leia."

"Fallen? I'm scared."

"Why?"

"There are so many people there! And so many buildings..."

"Leia, you'll be FINE. Just stay with me. OK?"

"All right."

Suddenly, my roommate, Shirly, stirs.

"Good morning!" she says happily, as always.

We head out and have a quick breakfast. Fallen then helps me pick out clothes and get ready. I'm wearing a blue dress and black flats.

I decide to sit on a chair and watch what's going on out the window. Trees and plants and fields and stuff pass by. It' so pretty.

I curl up in the chair. I don't want to go to the Capitol.

WHY did I volunteer?

* * *

><p><span>Kendyll Brown, D8 POV:<span>

Sometimes siblings can be aggravating.

Holly misses my mother. And she's crying. So Alex and Lisa are trying to comfort her.

And ignoring me.

I decide to go outside for a bit. It can be hard to be in the middle.

Jamie comes out of his room. He ended up sharing with Trinity. I'm not sure if they're thrilled or not. Anyway, they're pretty young, but it isn't too bad. They're not in the same bed, at least.

"Are you OK?" he asks.

"Yeah. I just feel a bit neglected. I have a little sister, and she misses my parents. So she's crying, and my older siblings want to help her. So, now I feel a bit neglected."

"Oh. Why don't you just ASK her for attention?"

"Because I know how much Holly means to her. Lisa ALWAYS wanted a little sister. Since she was 3. And it took 11 years. Lisa loves her."

"You care about your family, don't you?"

"Yeah. Even though I like to prank them, I love them, and I would do anything for them."

Lisa comes out.

"Hey, Kendyll, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I just feel neglected. But I didn't want to take you away from Holly. I know how much you love her."

"Kendyll, look. I do love Holly. A lot. But I also need to care for you. You're my baby brother, and always will be. Even if we have a problem with Holly, you can always get me, OK?

"All right."

I hug her, and she hugs me. I love my sister.

* * *

><p><span>Lambell Rose, D10 POV:<span>

I miss home. But not my family.

I've only ever lived in my house. And now I'm being taken away.

Alain is across from me on her bed. She's nice. We started talking about what home is like.

I have three siblings. But they're all mean. I don't like them."

"I have one big brother, and he's always bothering me. I really hate it!"

"I know. What does your Daddy do? Mine's something called a Victor. And my Grandpa's the mayor."

"My dad raises animals. We have so many cute little goats and sheep and chicks. I love them."

"They must be fun to be with."

"They are."

"What do you like to do?"

"Play with the animals and my friends. They are great to be around. You?"

"I get bullied by my friend Milinda. I want to play with her but she doesn't always like me."

"That's sad."

"Yeah. Do you like me?"

"Of course, Lambell!"

I have a real friend.

* * *

><p><span>Robin Pine, D12 POV:<span>

I can't believe what I'm seeing Song do.

She seems to be coming out of her shell and talking to Sadie. They're talking on the couches, because we're all waiting to pull up to the Capitol. They are actually really similar, and they get along.

I feel really bored. I want to DO something.

Mason comes up to me. "Hi, Robin."

"Hi."

"When will we get there?"

"When we do. Be patient. I want to get there too, trust me."

"I'm scared for what will happen."

"I guess. I think we'll be fine, though."

All of a sudden, the train stops short, nearly throwing fall of us off of our feet. I grab Mason's hand to keep him from falling. He looks at me gratefully.

Ellessa comes out.

"We're here!" she announces.

No duh.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? This was a bit more of a sad chapter. I had no idea it would be like that!<strong>

**Anyway, I'm leaving the bloodbath contest open for one more week. This way you guys can try again.**

**As usual, I still need a bunch of training scores. I need from: ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe, Wobbe, BloomingRue, Jayfish, TributeSix, and Pordo. Please get those to me.**

**Now for Sponsor Point questions!**

**Question 1**

**Category: Last chapter**

**Number of Points: 30**

**Question: What colors were the trains that pulled into the station?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Geography**

**Number of Points: 40**

**Question: Name 4 countries in the Middle East.**

**Question 3**

**Category: American TV Shows**

**Number of Points: 50**

**Question: Which contestants are left on The Voice AND American Idol?**

**I think that's all for now! Good luck, and see you soon!**

**-goldie031**


	25. Interlude: Teams, Part 1

**Let's recap, shall we?**

**This chapter was supposed to be after chapter 27, "Next Stop: The Capitol". But, I screwed up the order of the chapters, so we went a bit out of order. I will just remind you the important thing of what happened. Violet Emerald has made friends with Holly Brown, a tribute from D8. This makes Lavender, her big sister, really scared. This chapter will pick up right where that one left off.**

**Now, for the sponsor point answers.**

**1. D1 is white, 8 is purple, and 11 is dark brown.**

**2. Any 4 countries would be acceptable.**

**5. At the time, Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanagh, Jessica Sanchez, Phillip Phillips, and Joshua Ledet were still "alive" on American Idol, and Jermaine Paul, Erin Willett, Jamar Rodgers, Lindsay Pavao, Katrina Parker, Juliet Simms, Chris Mann, and Tony Lucca were left on The Voice.**

**I can't wait for you guys to read this chapter. I personally adore it! Here goes nothing.**

* * *

><p>Ruby took a deep breath. "Lavender, where is Violet now?"<p>

"I sent her home to play with Cerise."

"OK. Thanks, sweetie. You can go back home now."

Lavender eases her way out the door and closes it behind her. As soon as the door shuts, Ruby explodes.

"I TOLD you that we shouldn't have let Violet help Lav out. But, NO. You HAD to let her do it."

"We promised her, and I didn't want to let her know. How was I supposed to know she would make friends with one of the tributes?" Amethyst responds.

"Number 1, Violet is the friendliest person in Panem. Number 2, there are 5- and 6-year-olds in the Games. And number 3, you have a brain."

"Well, OK, I guess I did miss something. But, while you were ranting, I came up with a plan. Look. Remember this arena we started to build before we heard about the Quell?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, what if..."

Amethyst then proceeds to draw out exactly how her and her sister would avoid problems. Ruby seemed to understand pretty well.

"Wow, that looks great, Amethyst!"

"That's why I'm the older one."

"Now, let's look at teams. How are you doing on that?"

"Pretty well. I have half of them done."

"Done done?"

"Yup."

Ruby is impressed. "Great job, sis! Let's take a look."

Amethyst takes out a folder. This folder has a packet with the history and personality of each tribute, their family and friends, their appearances, everything. some were as thick as six pages. Some only had one.

"Well, first of all," she says, "I wanted to tell you that I killed the idea of having no two tributes from the same district on the same team because it was getting too tough. I felt like personalities were more important. KK?"

Ruby nods.

"OK, so first, let's go over the red team. I put Greick Sheedor and Isaiah Barnabas from 1, Crash and Smash Hatch from 2, Sira Kawerky from 3, Syeira Laviah from 5, and Danica Redmond and Eagle Sterling from 7 on red."

"Why? Those are 8 clashing personalities!"

"The Capitol loves a good comedy," Lavender explains.

Ruby nods. "Next?"

"Yellow. I put Candella Anders from 3, Marynna Breck from 4, Lucy and Astrid Evans and Len Supin from 5, Jamie Wretherly from 8, Quiinn Jones from 11, and Neil Xaroff from 12 on that team." Amethyst explains.

"Well..." Ruby says thoughtfully, "Why did you put Len and Marynna on that team?"

"I thought it would be fun. Plus, there are a bunch of people who could calm them down. Quiinn, Astrid..."

"OK. That could work. Next..."

"Green," Amethyst finishes Ruby's sentence. "On green I put Fallen and Leia Dean from 6, Tinny Mince from 7, Viktor and Rowena Wayland from 10, and Robin and Song Pine and Brandi Hahn from 12."

"Why? This is an odd team. I don't get it."

"I just thought it would be interesting."

"OK. Next?"

"Purple. Tyranny Bomber from 1, Barlen Wickeher from 2, Arabella Rae from 3, Shirly Tranner from 6, Oakline Sint from 7, Farley Pastle from 10, Jaren Combler from 11, and Bolden Tain from 12. I wanted to challenge Tyranny, because she can't turn down a challenge!"

"Challenge is right. This will be tough, but I think she can handle it."

"Brown. I put Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, and Holly Brown from 8, Conall from 9, Alain from 10, Aileen from 11, and Maosn from 12 on that team."

"Oh, I see what you did there. Did you do that every time?"

"If I could, I played with the colors. Anyway, what do you think?"

"Looks good. Mason and Holly will be cute."

"Exactly. One more full team, right?" Ruby asks.

"Right. On gold I put Goldstar MacQueen from 1, Thad Wellington from 2, Bellona and Acestes Adrina from 4, Cain Mohen from 5, Riely Tour from 6, Colin Villanueva from 7, and Gretchen Winchester from 8."

"What about Donnie MacDardo from 8 or Whisper Willow from 2? Why didn't you put them on this team?"

"They're on orange with Wreck Swider from 3 and Alava Devlin from 12. I was going with a broken lovers kind of thing."

"OK, so that's all the full teams. Did you place anyone else?"

"Oh, yeah. Obviously, I told you orange, but there's something interesting there."

"What?"

"Whisper and Wreck each had brothers in the 96th hunger Games. Whisper's brother killed Wreck's brother."

"That will be interesting."

"Yup. Next, I put Haemon from 5 on black."

"I get that. Any teammates yet?"

"Oh, cool!"

"Next, Lila Flemings and Xander Briant from 7 are with Moss and Toby Darya from 4, Micajah Newton from 6, and Lambell Rose from 10 on pink."

"That could be cute, too!"

"Yup."

"I already told you about orange... silver. Sparkle DeFontaine from 1 and Shine Scott from 7."

"This one I get. Shine is from 1 originally so you wanted to put her with someone else from her district."

"Exactly! Other than that, I have Cyei All, Danny Robin, and Fae Springer on white team."

"Why?"

"I just thought it would work OK."

"Nine, ten, eleven. What's the twelfth color?"

"Blue. But I haven't placed anyone there yet."

"OK. Great work, sis!"

"Thanks."

Ruby turns to leave.

"Wait!" Amethyst yells. "One more thing."

"What?" Ruby asks.

"Arena outfit."

"Right. There has to be something that will identify the team."

"I was thinking a jacket and a T-shirt. The jacket will be the color of the district and the shirt will be the color of the team. You see, people can take off a jacket, but not a shirt, and the shirt is the important part here."

Ruby nods. "Is that all?"

"Yup. I think so."

"Try to get the teams finished soon," Ruby instructs.

"All right. Bye."

"Bye."

Ruby leaves. Amethyst is then able to breath easy, but she still has a lot of work to do.

* * *

><p><strong>So, there you are. I have made a lot of progress so far. I hope you understand my reasoning in this.<strong>

**Now, if your tribute isn't in here yet, don't panic. I'm working on it.**

**I'm leaving the bloodbath contest open until the next chapter, during which I'll reveal the bloodbaths. Got it? Good.**

**Sponsor Questions!**

**Question 1**

**Category: Last Chapter**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Question: What happens to Whisper when the train pulls out?**

**Question 2**

**Category: Olympics**

**Number of Points: 10 per city, 50 max**

**Question: Name as many Olympic host cities as you can.**

**I think that's all for now. I'll see you again soon! Next up is chariot ride prep, if not the chariot rides themselves.**

**-goldie031**


	26. Chariot Rides: Falling Down

**OK, so, obviously, this chapter was not the fastest one I've ever written, but it may be the longest. I think the final word count is 4,638 words.**

**Anyway, first of all, Sponsor Point answers.**

**1. She falls and hurts her ankle.**

**2. Vancouver, London, Beijing, Rio, Sochi, somewhere in Korea, Athens, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Lake Placid, Nagano... There are a lot of cities and any 5 are acceptable.**

**I am closing the bloodbath contest, but I'm not going to tell you who the bloodbaths are.**

**This chapter, there is a major shakeup that I'll address at the end of the chapter. I love it, and I can't wait for you to read!**

* * *

><p><span>Cassiopea Erin Winters, D9 POV:<span>

Ow.

Ow, ow, ow.

My prep team is ripping every inch of hair off of my body. I am ready to scream.

"We're almost done, Cassiopea," says Margarita, who is sort of the leader. My other two are Martinia and Colada. They say their names are based on drinks. I'm guessing that means alcohol.

About 25 minutes later, they're done. Hallelujah. Now, Martinia says, "We have to get you ready for Narcissus, your stylist."

Uh-oh.

If I remember the myth correctly, Narcissus couldn't tear his eyes away from the lake where he saw his reflection.

Yay.

"First, we must do your hair and makeup. Hold still."

Margarita paints my nails with a pattern that looks like a wheat field. Colada braids my hair and braids wheat into it. I am given gold eyeshadow, simple, clear lip gloss, and some blush with sparkles in it. The blush is also dusted all over me. I look elegant and youthful at the same time. It's beautiful.

"Colada, I look so pretty!" I exclaim. She's the most normal-looking one and the calmest. While Margarita has bright green hair and Martinia has slightly less bright green hair, she has natural-looking white-blond hair that is quite pretty.

"I'm so glad," she says sympathetically.

Suddenly, a tall, handsome guy strides into the room. "Hello, everybody! My name is Narcissus, and I am here to show you the amazing and awesome costume I designed for the chariot rides. I know you'll love it because it was made by me."

Oh, god.

"Now, as you know, she is in outfit group 1. So, do the shorter dress. It will look good on her because I designed it."

"All right."

"She shouldn't wear tights or leggings of any kind. Nothing under the dress. OK?"

"Got it."

"Now, go, and make me look AMAZING!"

Ugh.

He exits, and Margarita gets my dress. It is in a black bag, and she unzips it. When I see it, I love it. It is a dress that actually looks like a wheat field! It is gold and the black lines on it give the impression of stalks of grain. There is a layer of tulle under the main layer and then a layer of silk. It is an amazing dress.

Narcissus re-enters the room.

"You look great! I knew my idea would work! I am a genius!"

He leaves the room with the same sort of swagger that he entered. I do hate him, but I'll have to deal with him. Half of getting sponsors is how you look. He is my only hope.

* * *

><p><span>Wreck Swider, D3 POV:<span>

My stylist is either a genius or a madman.

Half of our tributes - Sira, Darren, Arabella, and Danny - are in black suits or dresses with green binary digits scrolling up and down - you know, 0 and 1. This was designed by our first stylist, Jawana. The rest of us are in suits designed by Laximus that are literally made out of wires that could spark without warning at any given time. The only thing separating this very dangerous material from our bodies is a very thin white shirt and very thin white pants.

Like I said, genius or madman.

"OK, guys," Laximus says, "You can go down, but be careful, OK?"

I nod. We head to the elevators and go down.

When I get there, I see a girl who looks oddly familiar. Where have I seen that before? Light blond hair.. brown eyes with blue specks... I got it!

Her brother, Oliver Willow, was in the same Games as my brother Tagir. The 96th Hunger Games. Oliver killed Tagir. I can clearly remember it: Oliver snuck up behind Tagir, took a poisoned knife, and stabbed him right at the heart. He was dead in seconds.

I don't care if I think the streaks in her hair are a little cool. She is going to pay.

* * *

><p><span>Mason Samuel Kent, D12 POV:<span>

I look down at my chariot outfit. What were our stylists thinking?

We are all wearing the same jumpsuit. It is from our necks to our feet, and it covers our feet. It is also long sleeved. Half of us - Neil, Brandi, Sadie, and me - have jumpsuits that are shiny and black, like coal, and are dusted in coal dust. The other half, Bolden, Alava, Robin, and Song, are in red jumpsuits with a flame that is actually jumping like a real flame. It's pretty cool.

When I get downstairs to the room where we're all waiting, there are a bunch of groups there. One group I see is made up of a few kids who look 5. That works for me!

I join the group. There are three girls and a boy. "Hi, I'm Mason, and I'm 5," I introduce myself.

"Hi, I'm Xander," the boy introduces himself. He has blond hair and light eyes, and is about 3 foot 4. "This is Lambell, Sira, and Holly. We're all 5 too."

I look at the girls. Holly is around 3 foot 9, and she has blond hair and hazel eyes. I'm already four feet tall, which is 3 inches taller than her! Lambell has pale blond hair and pale blue eyes and is the same height as Holly. And Sira has dirty blond hair and dark brown eyes and is pretty short.

We start talking. I try to keep my vocabulary at a 5-year-old level, as I've been told I'm quite smart for my age. After a few minutes, the conversation takes a weird turn.

"Where do you think we're going?" Xander asks.

"Lisa says we're going on a adventure!" Holly says sweetly.

"I just miss my family. I want to go home," Sira says quietly.

"I'm kind of glad I'm away from my family, but I miss my home," Lambell adds.

I stay silent. I don't really want to get into this one.

"OOH! Sparkly!" Holly says, looking at Goldstar's dress. It's sparkly and gold. Both of the other girls look at it and start talking about it.

"I know where we're going. To kill each other," Xander boldly says.

"Yup, so true," I reply. "Are you scared?"

"Yeah. I'm 5. I don't want to die!"

"Yeah."

_"Tributes, it is time to board your chariots. They will be leaving in a minute."_

"Holly, come here!"

"Sira!"

"Lambell, over here!"

"Xander!"

"Mason!"

I wave goodbye to Xander. We head to our chariots. I can't help but look wistfully after Holly. She's kind of cute.

I board my chariot. It has black rails that look like they are coal dusted. The other one has the same fake flames around it.

As the chariot lurches forward, I have one thought.

Are Xander and I the only ones who know where we're really going?

* * *

><p><span>Acestes Adrina, D4 POV:<span>

I don't think this is a good idea.

This year, each district has two chariot costumes and two chariots. Our stylists decided to make things a bit more interesting.

The girls from our district are wearing really long dresses that look like the moving ocean, and every now and then, a fish swims by on it. They are in a fish-tank sort of thing with 5 inches of water on the bottom, but it doesn't make the dresses pop up at all. They have blue eye-shadow and pink lipstick, and blush with blue sparkles. Their skin has stenciling that looks like the ocean.

Around 20 feet above that is an ancient dock made out of light brown wood, which we boys are sitting on. We all are wearing outfits that look like that of an ancient fisherman. Each of us are holding a fishing pole, and are supposed to try to smile and wave.

The thing is, if we fall off of the dock, we'd fall into the fish-tank, which is a lot wider than the dock. But, as there are only 5 inches of water, we'd hit the bottom hard. So, our stylists told us that, if we fell, to pull the trigger on our outfits that launches a parachute. I don't think we'd have enough time to do that, but OK. I'm still a bit nervous.

I am sitting at my high perch, looking at the other outfits, Some are clearly more stunning than others.

The District 1 boys are all wearing suits and the girls are all wearing short dresses with tulle skirts and a bow in the middle of the waist on the front. Goldstar, Nyx, Greick, and Tyranny are in gold, and Auden, Mars, Isaiah, and Sparkle are in silver. The chariots match the colors, so the people wearing gold are in a gold chariot, and the people wearing silver are in a silver chariot. The girls are wearing lip gloss and eye shadow to match the color of their dress. They also have blush and sparkly glitter in the color of the dresses. Their hair has been curled really nicely.

District 2 has a very interesting contrast. The first outfit group of Barlen, Belle, Acacia, and Emmet are in suits or dresses, depending on their gender, that look like stone. They move very stiffly, which is either an act or really that it is hard to move in the outfits. Their chariot looks like it's made out of marble. The other 4, Whisper, Thad, Crash and Smash, are in Peacekeeper suits, but when anyone approaches them, rainbow-colored knives shoot out of it and retract when he/she goes away. The chariot there is made out of weapons that criss-cross in odd ways. It looks pretty cool! All of the girls are wearing minimal makeup and their hair has been braided down the back.

District 3 has two sets of good outfits - that is, for 3. Sira, Darren, Arabella, and Danny are in black suits or dresses with green binary digits scrolling up and down. It looks decent for them. Their chariot is solid black with the same binary digits scrolling up and down, left and right. The other four, Wreck, Candella, Apollo, and Deanna, are in suits or dresses made entirely out of wire that spark every now and then. Their chariot looks like it is made entirely out of wire as well. Pretty cool. Sira and Arabella's hair are in high ponytails and they are also wearing black eyeshadow and regular blush. Candella and Deanna are wearing bronze eyeshadow, bronze lipstick, and bronze-ish blush. Their hair is down.

Then, there's us from 4. Afterwards comes 5, power. This should be interesting. The boys are in suit versions of a Hazmat suit that look decent. They're a lot better than last year when the tributes were naked and dusted in glow dust all over. Their chariot is glowing green. The girls are wearing dresses made entirely out of solar panels with a chariot that glows sun-yellow. They have yellow eyeshadow and blush with yellow sparkles. Their hair is long and flowing, and it has had yellow streaks added. It looks decent, but nowhere near as nice as the first four districts.

_"Tributes, it is time to board your chariots. They will be leaving in a minute."_

District 6, transportation, always has chariot trouble What can you do with transportation? This year, the first group of tributes, ie Cage, Riley, Wes, and Shirly, are in red suits or dresses with lots of silver gears in all shapes and sizes. The chariot looks as if it is made out of gears, and they actually turn. Riley and Shirly have silver eye shadow and blush with silver sparkles. Their hair has silver streaks and are up in ponytails to prevent it from getting into the gears. Fallen, Nellie, Ty, and Leia are dressed up as different people who operate forms of transportation. Nellie is a flight attendant, Fallen is a pilot, Ty is a very cute conductor, and Leia is an engineer. Half of their chariot looks like a train and the other half looks like a plane. Leia and Nellie have very simple makeup - lip gloss, blush, pink eyeshadow - and their hair are also in ponytails, but not quite so high. As usual, 6 is OK.

Suddenly, our chariot lurches forward. I whip my head to the front, toward the big doors, and see the chariots from 1 heading out. A voice says, _"District 1!"_ and the crowd cheers.

"Moss, I'm scared," Toby says.

"You'll be fine, " Moss replies reassuringly.

"But I'm really scared! I'm high up and I don't do well around lots of people!" Toby cries out.

"Toby,"I say fiercely, "You'll be fine. Just stay calm."

"But..." he protests.

_"District 4!"_

Our chariot begins to head out. Kole looks at us and cockily says, "Just smile and wave, boys, smile and wave!"

* * *

><p><span>Oakline Sint, D7 POV:<span>

I am not a tree. Yay!

All of us girls are wearing dresses that look like leaves on the top and slowly change to look like bark on the bottom. The straps are spaghetti straps and covered with leaves. There are strands of leaves wrapped around our arms, and we each have a wreath on our head. Each of us is a different color - Danica is red, Shine is orange, Lila is yellow, and I'm green. We all have eyeshadow the color of our leaves, pink lipstick, and peach blush. Our chariot has little tiny pine trees all over. It's nice.

The boys are in suits that looks like they are entirely made out of paper, even the shoes, and the even crinkle when they move, according to Lila. Writing appears and disappears on them every now and then. Their chariot matches that. It's pretty cool.

The best part of this is that I didn't have trouble with my stylist. She had a translator so that I could understand what she was saying and I didn't have to lip read.

I decide to look at some of the other chariots. Right behind me is D8. Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, and Holly are spools of thread - Alex is blue, Lisa is Red, Kendyll is green, and Holly is yellow. Their chariot looks like it's made out of spools of thread tilted in different directions. The girls' hair have been straightened and they are wearing eyeshadow and glitter the color of their spool along with lip gloss. Donnie, Gretchen, Jamie, and Trinity are in outfits with colors and patterns that literally swirl around. Their chariot is all patchworky and looks like a quilt. The girls' hair is curled and they are wearing purple eyeshadow and pink blush and lipstick.

9 has two OK outfit. Cassie, Barley, Conall, and Maybell are wearing gold dresses or suits, and the black lines on them give the impression of stalks of grain. The girls have gold eyeshadow, sparkly blush, and lip gloss, and their hair has been braided with wheat. The blush itself has been dusted all over them. Ivy, Poise, Sen, and Tinny are dressed like farmers. They are wearing off-white T-shirts with light blue denim overalls with straw in the pockets. Theyare each wearing a straw hat. The girls' hair falls down their backs in pretty waves, and they are using very simple, natural makeup: pink blush to create rosy cheeks, pink lip gloss, and brown eyeliner. Both chariots look like grain fields.

_"District 7!"_

District 10, livestock, doesn't do so well most years, like the year that they had their tributes dressed up as butchers, complete with bloody knives. The younger kids - Lambell, Dek, Zach, and Alain - are each dressed up as a different animal. Zach is a deer, in a brown shirt, brown pants, brown shoes, a small brown tail, and antlers. Dek, the cow, is in a white shirt, white pants, and white shoes, all of which have black spots. His nose is colored in black and he has sweet little cow ears on his head. He also has a little cow tail. Lambell is wearing a frilly pink dress, pink leggings and pink flats with a pig snout and pig ears, and a curly pig's tail on the back. Her hair is in pigtails and she is wearing pink lip gloss, eye-shadow, and blush. Alain is wearing a white dress with cotton balls all over it and there is a big cotton ball acting as a tail, white leggings, and white flats with cotton balls on them. She also has sheep ears and a cute little sheep's nose. Her hair is also in pigtails and she wears clear lip gloss, peach blush, and black eyeliner. Those little kids are SO ADORABLE!

The older kids - Viktor, Mica, Rowena, and Farley - are in cowboy outfits. The boys wear plaid flannel shirts and jeans, while the girls wear a more feminine version of the top and short shorts. All of them are wearing light brown cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. The girls' hair is braided and they wear little makeup - just eyeliner and blush. They are riding horses, two on either side of the chariot. I don't think I've ever seen that done before!

I feel bad for the younger kids from 11. They are all dressed up as fruit! Jaren and Hallin are each in suits, dress suits, and stem hats, but Hallin is in all red and Jaren is in all blue. Maryanne and Fae are each in dresses, but the similarities stop there. Maryanne is in a red dress with green spots, pointy flats, and a hat that looks like the top of the strawberry. She wears red eyeshadow, red sparkles, and pinkish blush. Her hair is in pigtails. Fae is in a yellow dress, regular flats, and a hat that looks like the top of a banana. She wears yellow eyeshadow, yellow sparkles, and pinkish blush, and her hair is in a braid.

The older tributes, Aileen, Akizah, Quiinn, and Asa, are in green suits or dresses with a vine wrapped around. The boys wear green dress shoes and the girls wear green flats with flowers on them. The vine is supposed to sprout blossoms and then flowers throughout the Chariot Ride. The girls wear green eyeshadow and sparkles, and their hair is down the back in waves.

District 12 has interesting outfits. All of them are in jumpsuits that cover their whole body, save their heads and hands. Half of them - Neil, Brandi, Sadie, and Mason - have jumpsuits that are shiny and black, like coal, and they are all dusted in coal dust. Sadie and Brandi have their hair in high ponytails and have black eyeliner. The other half, Bolden, Alava, Robin, and Song, are in red jumpsuits with a flame that is actually jumping like a real flame. It's pretty cool. Alava and Song also have their hair in high ponytails, but they have red eyeshadow and red lipstick.

Suddenly, our chariot is in the City Circle. The movement is so lulling. I start to daydream. The chariot is a cloud! And I'm in a cloud dress and the horses are pretty cloud horses and one horse talks to me... and I can hear it! It says, "Oakline, you are the most amazing and beautiful person in the world. I love you. Hold on!"

I am flung off the chariot. I snap back to real life as I realize that I really am flying off of my chariot. As I head toward the ground, one thought runs through my head.

God help me.

I hit the ground hard and the world goes black.

* * *

><p><span>Cain Mohen, D5 POV:<span>

I saw it all happen.

Toby Darya from 4 fell off the dock, but pulled the trigger thing and the parachute came out. All of the other horses, however, had to stop short, and none shorter than D7. Oakline was la-di-da-ing around her chariot, and when the horses stopped, she flew off because she was moving. It looks like she hit her head pretty hard.

I hop off of of my chariot and run over to her. There is a huge wound in her head gushing blood. The wound is mortal.

I am livid. She was 10! I fly into a rage.

"You #&*%!" I yell to no one in particular. "You killed an innocent little 10-year-old girl. And she was deaf. #%^$% deaf! You Capitol people are mean, selfish, and rude."

I am so mad that I don't see the Peacekeeper behind me with the tranquilizer gun. He shoots me in the butt and everything goes black.

* * *

><p><span>Barlen Wickeher, D2 POV:<span>

Well, that was interesting.

This was the most eventful Chariot Rides I've ever seen. Of course, that might be partly because I'm in it.

When the chariots start moving again, we move into the City Circle. President Emerald steps up.

"Well, that was eventful. Before I begin, let us have a moment of silence for Oakline Sint."

Everyone hangs their heads, and a symbolic cannon fires, making all of the little kids cry.

"Thank you. Welcome tributes, Capitol citizens, Panem, to the 100th Hunger Games, the most eventful Games yet! I am sure that these will be fun and exciting, and I can't wait for you to see the plans and surprises we have in store. To the tributes, the people who will have the ultimate sacrifice, life, I thank you for taking on such a vital role. As this is a special Hunger Games, we will have a memorial service at the end of the Games for all who died. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

She leaves the balcony, and the chariots pull into the training center. It is near chaos as everyone tries to get off their chariots at once, but we manage, and, once those of us from my district are gathered up, we go up to our floor. We are on the second floor, as we are from District 2. When we enter, I am taken a bit aback. It's huge! There is a huge sitting room and dining room, and two wings leading off of it.

"You'll find your names on the doors to your right," Lucy kindly explains. We automatically go, and I find I'm sharing with Crash again. We quickly settle in.

I like this place!

* * *

><p><span>Third Person POV:<span>

Ruby and Amethyst sat at a table in Amethyst's office trying to figure out what to do.

"Look, she just fell off of a chariot. We're down a tribute."

"Ruby, we have two options. We can reap a Capitol tribute, or we can hold an emergency Reaping in 7. That was done the year of the 27th Hunger Games."

"Let's go with the second option. I think that would be best. What time is is?"

"Seven o'clock. Why?"

"Let's do it now. Get the mayor of 7 on the phone. I'll tell him to announce it over the loudspeaker that they need all girls from ages 5-11 to go to the square. We have a ball set up, and he'll draw the name."

"If you say so..."

Amethyst was nervous about it, but her sister was in charge.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you guys think? I said there would be a shake-up...<strong>

**Before I start, I just want to say that I may sound harsh, but I need to be clear to keep this organized. I'm expecting a lot of submissions, and I want to make sure that I'm not flooded.**

**Here's how we're going to do this. I will be accepting submissions of younger girl tributes - aka girls ages 5-11. Siblings are accepted, but the only sibling eligible is Aurelia Sterling, unless you want to give your tribute a new sibling.**

**Each person will submit ONE TRIBUTE through PM. The one tribute part is so I can keep things fair, and the through PM part is for two reasons. One, because there are people on FanFiction who are against people getting tributes through review. Two, this way, I can be sure that I can contact you about her easily. This tribute can be a bloodbath or not, and she can either be specific to District 7 or not so district-specific, even though she will be put in 7. Please use my form located in the first chapter.**

**Even though it isn't on the form, I need her training score. This is because there isn't enough time for me to chase you down for her training score. Also, I don't need the Chariot Outfit in the outfits section, so I'd like a Reaping Outfit and an Interview Outfit. As a result of this, to make sure you read this author's note, please put the words Crumple-Horned Snorkack in the section marked Chariot Outfit.**

**If a tribute doesn't fulfill these requirements, she will not be considered. I will pick the tribute that will replace Oakline and let the submitter know. Now, I want to continue the story, so I will only accept new submissions until Monday, after which I'll pick the new tribute. OK? Great.**

**I think that's all for now. I'm not going to put a sponsor point question because you guys are making tributes who will count for sponsor points. I know you'll do great. Good luck!**

**-goldie031**


	27. Emergency District 7 Reaping: Two Halves

**So, here is our replacement tribute for Oakline Sint of District 7. I chose her because she was by far the most detailed of the tributes I received, and her submitter didn't have any other tributes in my story yet, so it was only fair.**

**This tribute is a very complex tribute, so I'll try to portray her as best as I can, but I need constructive criticism here, especially from the submitter. I hope you like her, and she will be a fun tribute due to her history. So, ladies and gentlemen, Amber Elmore submitted by TonyOctober 2.0!**

* * *

><p><span>Amber Elmore POV (DUH!):<span>

I hate the Capitol.

I mean, I figured they would have another reaping after Oakline died, but I didn't really think that it would happen until the mayor made the announcement over the loudspeaker.

I am the only one in my complicated family who could be reaped. My mother, Yoko, and half-sister, Reiko, immigrated to Panem a few years ago from Japan, making me half-Japanese. My father, Paul, and half-brother, Bradley, lived here. My parents had two kids, me, Amber Noriko Takami Elmore, and my sister, Angela. She's my favorite sibling.

I quickly don an outfit. First, I brush out my long, jet black hair, and pull it back so that my green eyes are visible. I grab a short-sleeved purple dress, and Angela lends me a golden belt. I put on black leggings and white boots as well, and head out to the square.

Kids are gathering, mainly older kids. I find my friend Joanna, who's 9 like me. She's mentally disabled. I try to help her out as much as I can. Patrick, who's 10, can't be reaped today.

The square quickly fills, and then the mayor appears. He says, "The Capitol isn't requiring us to do anything special, so we will simply draw the name."

He picks a slip.

"Amber Elmore!"

No.

I am shocked and shaken, and I might cry. A female peacekeeper takes me to the stage, where I realize I must accept my fate.

I'm going to die.

* * *

><p>First, my family comes in.<p>

Reiko gives me a stiff hug. She's kind of bitter, so I didn't expect much from her, especially 'cause she's 17. She sits down across the room from me.

Bradley gives me a really strong hug like he always does. He's 20, and so big and strong.

Mommy hugs me tightly to her body; I've always been her baby girl.

Daddy scoops me up like he always does and throws me up into the air. I LOVE it when he does that!

Then, Angela comes and gives me a huge hug. She's always been my favorite.

"Amber," Mom says, "take this. It was my lucky charm back in Japan."

She hands me a black and white peace sign necklace. I immediately put it around my neck.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Angela says.

"You too," I reply.

"Amber, remember," Dad says, "use what you have in your head to your advantage. And keep your heart open. You're going to be assigned allies, so try to work with them, OK?"

"What ever you do," Bradley says, "don't give up."

Then, a Peacekeeper comes in. "Time's up."

"But we had no time with her!" Mom protests.

"Look, we need to get Amber to the Capitol. And we don't have a lot of time. So you ahve to go."

I hug my family, and they leave. But Reiko stays for a moment.

"Goodbye, Amber," she says, and then she touches her middle three fingers to her mouth and reaches them out to me.

Then, Joanne and Patrick come in, holding hands.

"Amber," he says.

"Patrick."

We embrace. Then, Joanne gives me a hug. She does it like she doesn't exactly know what's going on.

"Where are you going?"

"Away for a while," I reply. I kind of expect that from Joanne, as she's mentally disabled. She sits down and starts playing with her shoe.

"Patrick, take care of her for me. OK? She's so..."

"All right, if it means so much to you," he replies. "Be careful for me, OK, Amber?"

"I'll try. I can only do so much!"

"Look, as long as you're smart and resourceful, which you are, you will be fine."

A Peacekeeper comes in and takes them out. Patrick tries to resist, but the Peacekeeper is too strong.

Then, a girl in a blue dress comes in. "Hi, I'm Lily. I'm Jonas's sister."

"As in Jonas, our escort?"

"Yeah. I'm going to take you to the Capitol. Come with me."

Lily leads me to a hovercraft outside. We board it, and I am seated in a very padded chair and buckled with two seat-belts crossing over my chest. No chance of me getting hurt!

The hovercraft takes off, and after an approximately-35 minute flight, we land on the roof of the training center. I am led to a flight of stairs, and then taken to an elevator that leads me to the 7th floor.

Before we enter, Lily says, "Remember, you're going to need to get to know everyone, and they've had two days to get to know each other already. OK?"

"OK," I reply, and we walk in.

When we enter, they are eating soup, and there is an empty seat at the table, presumably for me. One boy, with black hair and light green eyes, breaths a huge sigh of relief. Seeing me, he explains, "Oh, I'm sorry, but my sister is 10, and she is so sweet, and I was scared she would be reaped. She was so worried..."

"I get it."

"Hi, I'm Eagle. You do look a lot like Aurelia. And you seem sweet, like her, too."

I smile; I like Eagle!

A girl with golden, curly hair and misty blue eyes speaks up.

"I'm Lila. This is my adopted brother, Xander. I'm 11 and he's 5," she says, pointing to a little kid with blond hair and light eyes.

Everyone starts to introduce themselves at once. I get a decent impression of everyone. Danica's shy. Creig is really mean. Colin is sulky. Shine seems really arrogant, until I hear that she's originally from 1. Then it makes sense.

Then, Danica points out, "Guys, she hasn't introduced herself yet."

Everyone looks at me expectantly, so I say, "Hi, I'm Amber Noriko Takami Elmore, and I'm 9."

"That's a long name," Eagle says.

"Well, I got the middle two, Japanese names, from my mother, because I'm half-Japanese. The other two from my father."

"What's Japan?" Xander asks.

"Amber," the escort puts in, "I'm Jonas, your escort. You'll be sharing a room with Lila, because you are both younger girls.

"Hey, Jojo," Lily says.

"I told you not to call me that in public, Lil."

The two embraced. "They're brother and sister," I explain. Everyone nods in understanding.

"All right, guys, back to eating. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Lily nods and leaves.

As we eat, I really get to know everyone, and like most of them, except Colin, Creig, and Shine.

This might not be so bad.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope that you guys liked Amber and this chapter. She will be featured again at some point before the end of the second day, most likely in the interview chapter.<strong>

**I am trying my best to work on this, but not only do I have commitments, but I have teachers that are literally loading us with homework, so bear with me. I want to get all of the pregame stuff, so 7-8 more chapters, done before I leave for camp on June 26th, so I hope I can do it. If not, I will start up again right after camp.**

**Anyway, I have two sponsor questions for you.**

**Question 1**

**Category: Chariot Rides**

**Number of Points: 10 per outfit, 50 max**

**Question: Describe in detail IN YOUR OWN WORDS as many outfits as you can. That means DON'T COPY THE TEXT DIRECTLY FROM THE CHAPTER OR I WILL NOT COUNT THAT ANSWER!**

**Question 2**

**Category: Ballet**

**Number of Points: 20**

**Question: What is the famous ballet that was written by Tchaikovsky?**

**Again, I hope you like this chapter, and I can't wait to read you the next one, which is training. Until then, so long!**

**-goldie031**


	28. Training: Strengths and Weaknesses

**So, here's the training chapter. I am really excited about this one! To save time, I will be doing one training chapter, the first day. Let me quickly address the sponsor point stuff.**

**1. Any 5 outfits would be acceptable so long as they do not copy exactly what I wrote. I'll let you know on those counts.**

**2. I was thinking, "The Nutcracker", but it turns out there are others...**

**Recently, there was a "massacre" of SYOTs. Now, I have all of the chapters of the story saved on word documents. If mine is deleted, I will try to bring it back up. If it is then deleted again, I have a few new stories I am going to work on, so DON'T WORRY! Also, I deleted a few chapters of the story, so don't be surprised if you can't review.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because, to tell you the truth, I hated writing it. I had a lot of trouble, especially because with how alliances will work, so just bear with me here. This will move quickly both before and after training because I want to get to the good stuff!**

* * *

><p><span>Toby Darya, D4 POV:<span>

I wake up to hear Sam say, "Wake up, everyone! We have to get to training."

I get up and throw on a blue shirt and black sweatpants. Then, I go to breakfast. Moss meets me there.

"Don't have too much now, Toby. You don't want to lose your breakfast while training."

I take a few scrambled eggs and gobble them down. Once everyone is ready, we head down.

Some people, mainly the tributes from 1 and 2, are already downstairs. We are the third district down there, but Career districts usually get there first. Someone pins our district number to our backs and shoulders. Everyone else comes in over the next few minutes, and we soon get started.

A woman comes up to a podium and claps her hands to get everyone quiet. "Hi, everyone, I'm Lily, and I'm the sister of the escort for District 7, Jonas. I promise that I will not be partial to them, however, as we train for the the next three days."

"Now, you will be able to go to any station here for the next three days. Now, you will find things that you are better at and some things that you are worse at. If you find something that you are bad at, stay away from that station and work on the things you are better at. I advise you to spend the day station-hopping to find things you are better at. Tomorrow, you can refine those skills. Also, don't ignore survival skills. Some of them can be quite useful in the arena, such as identifying edible plants. There have bee quite a few tributes that died because they ate nightlock."

Most of the older tributes are nodding. Some of the younger ones, however, look really confused.

"Now, remember, there is no fighting between tributes. Nobody can injure anyone, intentionally or unintentionally. If anyone injures anyone else, they will be given a training penalty, and if there is anyone who kills anyone else they will be immediately given a training score of zero. Got it?"

We all nod.

"Good. Go!"

We all scatter. First, I go with Moss to the running station. I've never actually trained, so I'm following him. He is good at that, and he wants me to try. It turns out I'm pretty good. I'll come back here tomorrow. Then, Moss heads to the close-combat station, but I do awfully. So, Moss says, "Why not try long-range fighting? I'm pretty bad but that doesn't mean that you're bad."

We head over to the spear station. Moss says, "OK, take a spear and throw."

I head back, wind up, and shoot... and hit the red.

"Wow, that was great, Toby!"

I smile. I grab a few more and throw them, repeatedly hitting blue and red, and once the yellow.

"I think you found your niche. Let's go to somewhere else and go back later."

We go to a few more stations, but the station I like best is a stealth station. I have to try to surprise the trainer in the middle of a maze. I do it pretty well, but the one time that he surprises me, I scream like a little girl, making the entire training center look at me.

Then, we go to survival skill stations. I do OK, but I keep looking back at that spear station. I wanna go back there!

* * *

><p><span>Fallen Dean, D6 POV:<span>

Leia and I run first, at the track. We do pretty well. We're pretty darn fast at it. I had fun with it! Leia seemed to kind of enjoy it as well. But she's a girl, and she doesn't really like to run.

Then, we go to a station where we have to try to run away from a mutt. Both of us do so in record time. I like this speed stuff!

Next, we go swimming. Leia and I are provided with bathing suits with our district number on the back. Leia is OK, but I suck!

Then, we go to a station about edible plants. We take a test, and then have to come back 5 minutes later and take the test again. I ace it, but Leia gets a few wrong.

While working, we see a girl next to us with bright red hair. I say, "Hello."

"Hi," she quietly replies.

"I'm Fallen and this is Leia. What's your name?"

"Danica."

We talk for a bit; me saying a few sentences and her saying a few words. She seems a lot like Leia.

I don't LIKE her, but I do like her.

* * *

><p><span>Conall Carteiar, D9 POV:<span>

That kid, Toby, is pretty good.

I saw him while I was at the spear station. He can throw a spear!

But I can too.

Throw, middle. Throw, middle. Throw, middle.

It gets a bit repetitive.

Then, I head over to the strength section, where I lift a bunch of weights. The trainer keeps giving me bigger things to do, until I unroot a tree and throw it. Then he really seems impressed.

I decide to swim. I see the Deans already in the water. They give me a bathing suit and I go in. I am awful. Literally awful! About as good as that Dean boy over there.

At least I'm not the only bad one.

* * *

><p><span>Jaren Combler, D11 POV:<span>

I don't like this. I just want to play and have fun! But, I know that I have to find some sort of a strength to work with. What better to do than work with survival skills?

First, I go to snares. I tie a few snares, and I can tell I'm not so good at it.

Then, I go to camouflage. It is a bit tedious getting the pattern right, and sometimes, I screw up bad. One round, I try to make the pattern of a tree and my arm comes out yellow.

Next up, edible plants. I'm really not liking this. It's a lot of memory stuff. I'm 10, for crying out loud!

Finally, it is time for lunch. I sit with Hallin and we talk a bit. He's shy, but I like him in a way. We talk and talk and talk, and we have fun, for some reason.

Then, it's back to training and survival skills.

I hate this.

* * *

><p><span>Song Pine, D12 POV:<span>

Survival, survival, survival.

There is nothing better to focus on than survival for someone who isn't that strong.

First, edible plants. I do pretty well. Some are obvious, like the ones I've heard of, such as honeysuckle and katniss. Some, like nightlock, are common sense. Some, I guess. I get 80% right, which is pretty good. People tell me I'm clever.

Next, it is time to build a fire! Great. I have some trouble, and firmly decide that our Number 1 priority in the arena is to find matches.

Then, we head to snares. I think this is one of my strong suits. The trainer sees my first snare and sees potential, so I learn a bunch of cool snares. That's good; it means I'll have food to eat in the arena, but Robin will have to kill it for me.

I need a weapon, so I do a little work with slingshots and darts, but I'm not really good at either.

What am I going to do?

* * *

><p><span>Bolden Tain, D12 POV:<span>

First thing, I hit the track to run. I have a lot of stamina, and I run for half an hour straight. The trainer says I ran 8 miles, which is pretty good.

Then, I head to the knife station, where I see Belle from 2 chucking knives. I throw a few, and I have decent accuracy. Nowhere near as good as Belle the Career, though, but pretty decent.

Then, I go to edible plants. To put it simply, I fail miserably. I get 2 right.

That might not be good.

Then, I go to hand-to-hand combat, which is also absolutely horrible. The guy there pins me in about 5 seconds. This might be bad.

* * *

><p><span>Colin Villanueva, D7 POV:<span>

OK, I'm just gonna walk around and see what happens.

I do a bit of survival skills, and then I go to a stealth station. We have to sneak around and try to surprise the trainer. I like sneaking around and hiding and I'm pretty good at it.

Suddenly, I see that angelic kid from 5, Cyei. He's pretty good at this, too. He's such an angel; so perfect and delicate. He comes up close to me. "Shush. Don't move." I duck and hide well, and he sneaks up behind the trainer. "BOO!" he yells. The trainer says, "Good job, Cyei! Go back and try again."

He runs back to the start. When he sees me, he smiles, and runs off.

There was something weird in his smile, like he was hiding something, and there was a malicious glint in his eye. But he talks and acts like an angel.

What is with this kid?

* * *

><p><span>Belle Adore, D2 POV:<span>

Oh, yes.

Yes, yes, YES!

I've been waiting for this since we got here. A chance to show off, as I'm a Career.

I start out with knives. I see Bolden, who looks like he's looking forward to this. Time to show him up!

Fwip. Fwip. Fwip.

Bullseye.

Bolden looks impressed. He throws a few, but isn't as accurate as me.

Next, I try hand-to-hand. I absolutely fail. Same with spears. Probably because I'm so light and it's hard for me.

Then, I go to tie knots. I may be a Career, but I want to be able to get food. I tie a few, and I can make a good snare, but I'm not as good as Song Pine over there. I will definitely be able to get food, which is good.

Afterwards, I go over to swords. I pick up what appears to be the lightest one and drop it on my toe. I scream and curse in pain. Lily comes over and helps me get an ice pack.

Great.

Suddenly, Tyranny yells, "All Careers, assemble by the track!"

I hobble over there. Some one pulls up a chair for me, so I don't have to stand.

I look around at the group. I see everyone from 1 and 2, and Kole, the Adrina twins, and Marynna from 4. People are looking apprehensively at Mars, Goldstar, Auden, Barlen, and me, because we're so young. I'll show them!

Tyranny has decided to take charge. "OK, guys. As you know, this year, we are assigned alliances by the Gamemakers, diminishing much of the possibility for a Career pack. However, we still want to make sure that we CAN have one if the Games permit it. So, try to work with as many weapons as you can. If you are on a team with another Career, not including siblings - " We all look at the Adrina twins and the Hatch twins, " - work with them as best as you can. OK?"

We nod.

"That's all. Thanks, guys!"

We disband. This might be the first Games without a real Career pack.

Well, that's a depressing thought!

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? As I said, I had some trouble with this chapter, but it came out OK.<strong>

**The good news is, I only have 5 chapters to go... and 25 days until I leave for camp. That's a chapter every 5 days on average, but the next chapter will have no POVs, because it's the one telling you the finished teams. Yes, that's right, I FINISHED THE TEAMS! (Cue Hallelujah choir) It took a lot of work, but I'm pretty satisfied. I'll work on the PMs to everyone, but the chapter is my main priority, so make sure to read the chapter.**

**Also, I am NOT going to have any sponsor point questions anymore, but check my profile. It now has the tribute list on it, so you can see it. (wink, wink)**

**Anyway, I hope you had fun reading this chapter. The next one will be up soon!**

**-goldie031**


	29. Interlude: Teams, Part 2

**So, here is the next chapter. If you have recently checked my profile, you can see that the sponsor point questions are there, and I will also be posting the answers there. This means I can get RIGHT INTO THE CHAPTER! YAY!**

**Here you go!**

* * *

><p>"DONE!" Amethyst announced triumphantly, as she entered Ruby's office.<p>

"You finished the teams?"

"Yup!"

"OK, then. Let's go over them!"

"OK, first, let's go over all the already finished teams . Red team: Greick Sheedor and Isaiah Barnabas from 1, Crash and Smash Hatch from 2, Sira Kawerky from 3, Syeira Laviah from 5, and Danica Redmond and Eagle Sterling from 7."

"Yellow team: Candella Anders from 3, Marynna Breck from 4, Lucy and Astrid Evans and Len Supin from 5, Jamie Wretherly from 8, Quiinn Jones from 11, and Neil Xaroff from 12."

"Green team: Fallen and Leia Dean from 6, Tinny Mince from 7, Viktor and Rowena Wayland from 10, and Robin and Song Pine and Brandi Hahn from 12."

"Brown team: Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, and Holly Brown from 8, Conall from 9, Alain Fennor from 10, Aileen Mellows from 11, and Mason Samuel Kent from 12."

"Gold team: Goldstar MacQueen from 1, Thad Wellington from 2, Bellona and Acestes Adrina from 4, Cain Mohen from 5, Riely Tour from 6, Colin Villanueva from 7, and Gretchen Winchester from 8."

"OK. Let's start with purple, since that's the easiest one to fix. What did you do?"

"I put in Ivy Ember in place of Oakline, making the team Tyranny Bomber from 1, Barlen Wickeher from 2, Arabella Rae from 3, Shirly Tranner from 6, Ivy Ember from 9, Farley Pastle from 10, Jaren Combler from 11, and Bolden Tain from 12."

"All right. That's not so hard. What next?"

"Orange, which has Auden Walters from 1, Whisper Willow from 2, Wreck Swider and Deanna Campbell from 3, Wesley Goode from 6, Donnie MacDardo from 8, Barley Harrison from 9, and Alava Devlin from 12."

"Hang on. Didn't Whisper's brother kill Wreck's brother in the 96th Games?"

"Yeah, that's the point."

"OK. Next?"

"Blue. Nyx Heyton from 1, Darren Catalyst from 3, Trinity May Belle from 8, Sen Arylian from 9, Mica Piprick and Dek Farland from 10, and Marianne Belle and Akizah Whisper from 11. I thought it would work OK, and that Dek and Darren would be cute."

"It will be. Next?"

"Black. Mars Pyrros from 1, Belle Adore from 2, Cassandra Tyme from 4, Haemon Nightshade from 5, Janael Smythe and Ty Leowne from 6, and Asa Benedict from 11."

"There's 3 Careers on this team!"

"And there are no Careers on brown. Your point? Also, two of those Careers are under 10. How much can they really do?"

"Fair. Continue."

"Pink. Rye-Ann Brooke and Toby and Moss Darya from 4, Micajah Newton from 6, Lila Flemings and Xander Briant from 7, Maybell Flince from 9, and Lambell Rose from 10."

"Why?"

"Well, I thought that the combination of Lambell and Xander would be cute. They're both 5, they're both shy, they're both ADORABLE!"

"OK. Next?"

"White. Acacia Andalu from 2, Danny Robin from 3, Kole Devon from 4, Cyei All from 5, Amber Elmore from 7, Poise Caesurea from 9, Zach Ryans from 10, and Fae Springer from 11."

"I'm assuming that this is one of the latter teams that you did, because it isn't as well pieced together."

"Yeah. But Amber will do OK with Fae and there are 2 careers. Danny seems nice, and Zach will kind of help out. It should be pretty good!"

"OK. 2 more, right?"

"Yeah. Gold team. Goldstar MacQueen from 1, Thad Wellington from 2, Bellona and Acestes Adrina from 4, Cain Mohen from 5, Riley Tour from 6, Colin Villanueva from 7, and Gretchen Winchester from 8."

"This is the whole broken lovers thing, right?"

"Yeah."

"The other thing is Goldstar, Ona, and Ace will get along well."

"Ona and Ace?"

"Bellona and Acestes. Those are their nicknames for each other, and it makes it easier for us to talk about them, but they can't know."

"OK."

"Anyway, Goldstar, Ona, and Ace are very similar. They'll have a ball together, but I'm a bit nervous about the combination of Ona and Colin."

"I don't think it'll be horrible. Let's just keep going; we have one more team to go."

"Yes, the silver team."

"Sparkle DeFontaine from 1, Emmet Westercamp from 2, Apollo Mariner from 3, Shine Scott and Creig Donovan from 7, Cassiopea Erin Winters from 9, Hallin Crow from 11, and Sadie Wood from 12."

"That also has quite a few Careers, but I think it'll work OK. Now, all we have to do is set up the rooms for tomorrow and we're good."

"Yup. We have a lot of work to do, so let's get on it."

Amethyst and Ruby leave and lock the door. A huge sigh of relief could be heard from behind it.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? If you haven't received a PM about this, I'll try to get it to you ASAP, but I want to get chapters out. Also, I figured out how to write on my smart phone with its' tiny screen, so I'll be able to write during my 3-day school trip next week. <strong>

**Anyway, I'll leave the sponsor point questions on my profile until the end of the next chapter. See you then!**

**-goldie031**


	30. Gamemaker Sessions: Prove Yourself

**So, here's the next chapter. I really liked writing this one. You can find the training scores on the bottom, but I'd love it if you read the chapter. Meanwhile, I'd love it if you did two things for me.**

**1. Go to WEWANTYOURSYOT's profile and sign the petition against the SYOT "massacre" that recently occurred.**

**2. Go to Gamemaker Allie's profile and beg her to finish her story! And read it, too.**

**Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter, which will lead into the next one. And no, I won't screw up the order this time!**

* * *

><p><span>Goldstar MacQueen, D1 POV:<span>

I wake up on the third day of training, and realize that there are butterflies in my stomach. This is unnatural; I never get nervous!

I go to breakfast, where Sparkle is already there, along with everyone else. Of the three siblings, Sparkle is by far the nicest.

"OK, guys," she begins, "here's the deal. Today may be the most important training day. Use the morning to perfect your skills if you need to, and don't show off so much. You need to be ready for your private sessions. They are calling you in this older: younger boys, younger girls, older boys, older girls, and they are going in order of age. OK?

We all nod.

"Now, go down and use your time wisely!"

We go downstairs. For some reason, we are immediately escorted into the lunchroom. Lily comes in and the doors close. "OK, guys, here's how this is going to work. Since there are so many of you, we need to start right away. When it is your turn, I will call your name and district. We will go in the following order: younger boys, younger girls, older boys, older girls. We will go by age, so the younger younger boy wil go first. You will have between 5 and 15 minutes depending on your age. OK?"

We nod.

"After your session, find the room with your name on the door. You will be served lunch at lunchtime if you are already there, and if not, you will be served here. We are going to try to get through at least half of you before lunch. When everyone is done with their sessions, the walls in your room will fall and you will have a 10-minute strategy session with your team. Got it? Good. We will start with Mars Pyrros, District 1."

Mars stands up nervously. He enters the training hall. There is some idle chatter in between. Every now and then a name is called.

"Greick Sheedor, District 1."

"Auden Walters, District 1."

I find myself striking up a conversation with Bellona from 4. It turns out that her outer personality is my inner personality. I reveal myself to her, and we find ourself chatting. It's kinda nice.

"Goldstar MacQueen, District 1."

That's me. I stand up and bravely walk into the room.

When I get in, I see the Gamemakers looking down from teh balcony. I look at them expectantly.

"You may begin."

I dart to the climbing station and scale to the roof in a minute. Looking back at the Gamemakers, they look impressed. I jump down, shocking them, and land well.

Then, I go to the knives station. I take a few slow shots, and then 5 shots in quick succession. All of them hit red or yellow. The Gamemakers look impressed. The head Gamemaker says, "You may go."

I skip out and am led into a corridor with a LOT of doors. I scan them, until I find the one with my name on it. I go in, and a long corridor find nothing much to do there.

Maybe it isn't good to go so early!

Suddenly, a wall pops up behind me, trapping me in a small space. There is a note on it that reads, "Don't be alarmed We need the wall because we could only fit 24 doors in the corridor and we needed 96. So, we used these walls to make the cubicles smaller to fit all the rooms in."

This is going to be a long wait.

* * *

><p><span>Emmet Westercamp, D2 POV:<span>

"Emmet Westercamp, District 2."

I stand up, wink to some of the girls, and walk into the room. I stand in the middle and try to flirt with some of the female Gamemakers. No dice.

Hm. It looks like I'm going to have to actually DO something. So, I go to the track and run a few laps. They don't look too impressed, so I decide to lift some weights. I throw the heaviest things across the room. The Gamemakers nod in approval.

Finally, I grab an Avox and do some fighting with him. I don't try to hurt him, per se, but I show the Gamemakers how I can fight. They are impressed by this as well.

"You may go."

I wink one more time at the ladies and walk out.

* * *

><p><span>Acacia Andalu, D2 POV:<span>

I have this in the bag.

As a Career, I can do all sorts of awesome things.

"Acacia Andalu, District 2."

I stand up and confidently enter.

First, I go to swords and slash about half of the dummies, and carve an "A" into one. Then, I swordfight an Avox and nearly kill her, until I am separated from her by another Avox.

Then, I shoot 5 arrows at a target, all hitting the yellow.

I run over to the knives and shoot about 10 in a row at the target. The Gamemakers nod their approval.

I manage to swing a mace and an axe for a bit, but my arms get too tired. I manage to cover pretty much every weapon in there before the end of the session.

The Gamemakers dismiss me, and I'm pretty satisfied.

I go to my room and take a deep breath.

* * *

><p><span>Bellona "Ona" Adrina, D4 POV:<span>

"Bellona Adrina, District 4."

I enter the room confidently. This will be a cinch.

The Gamemakers are sitting there, so I sneak in and climb to the rafters. I jump down onto the ledge of the balcony, shocking them. I sweetly wave, and jump back to the ground.

Then, I go to the knife station and throw a bunch of knives. They all hit around the middle of the target, which is good. The Gamemakers seem impressed.

Next, I do some more climbing. I leap between the rafters, impressing the Gamemakers. I land to a modest applause.

Last, I go swimming. I manage to swim against everything put towards me. The Gamemakers dismiss me looking truly impressed.

When I get to my room, I see Ace there.

"Watch the wall," he says, as a wall comes shooting up from behind me.

"How did it go?" he asks.

"I think I did OK."

"You?"

"Same."

We turn away from each other to think.

* * *

><p><span>Creig Donovan, D7 POV:<span>

"Creig Donovan, District 7"

I take a deep breath and go in. A wealth of weapons is before me.

But all I see is the axe.

I look at the Gamemakers, who aren't really paying attention. I yell, "Hey, *$& !"

Now they're paying attention!

I dart straight for the axe. I can do lots with an axe.

First, I request a table. I take the axe and cleanly chop it in half. The Gamemakers are impressed.

Then, I take the axe and throw it at a target meant for spears. It hits the bulls-eye - that is, as close as an axe could come to hitting the bulls-eye.

That convinced them. I know I'm gonna win! I walk out without even being dismissed and go to the room with my name on it.

* * *

><p><span>Sen Arylian, D9 POV:<span>

"Sen Arylian, District 9."

I stand and enter the room.

The thing I'm best at is fires. I go to the fire station and light a bonfire with just the supplies there. The Gamemakers are impressed. Then, I build a tent from the tent-making station which is quite complex. I also do a lot of edible plants and other stuff, but I think that it was the bonfire and tent that sold teh Gamemakers.

Suddenly, my time is up, and I didn't get to do any weapon work! I leave with a pit in my stomach.

* * *

><p><span>Poise Caesurea, D9 POV:<span>

"Poise Caesurea, District 9."

I straighten myself and walk in.

When I get in, I dart to the long-sword. I look at the Gamemakers, who nod to begin. I take one and slash a few dummies, and then carve a "P" into one. Then, I pull out an Avox and we sword fight for a bit. I figuratively murder her.

The Gamemakers look impressed by this.

Then, I go to edible plants and do some identification. The Gamemakers don't seem super-impressed by that.

Lastly, I get a short sword and do some work with that, but it is obviously not as impressive as my long-sword work.

I spend some time with survival skills until the Gamemakers dismiss me.

* * *

><p><span>Hallin Crow, D11 POV:<span>

"Hallin Crow, District 11."

I stand up and take a deep breath, and walk into the room.

The Gamemakers are sort of unfocused. I guess I should be glad that I'm only the second one from my district, because the Gamemakers are losing focus rapidly. I need to do something big.

First, I run the track and do some stealth work. The Gamemakers are unimpressed. I need to do something bigger.

I go to the edible plants station and the animals station and work on those things. Then, I write out a really complex math problem and quickly solve it. Yay!

Still unimpressed.

I try to throw a knife, but it accidentally hits the Gamemakers.

"You may go."

I just blew my only shot.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry this is so short, but I had some trouble interpreting some of the tributes. Anyway.<strong>

**Here is the final list of training scores! Now, if you did not get yours to me, you MUST review AT LEAST two chapters before the bloodbath. The tributes whom I didn't get scores from will be bolded and the name of the submitter will remain. I have made up a training score in that case. Now, as you will see, there is a disproportionate number of Careers who would die, so I might have to make some die later, but if you don't redeem your tribute, they won't win! Got it? Good.**

**For those of you who did send me scores, you may find that they are different than what you imagined. This is because they were too high, so I took them down a bit, or (for Careers) too low, so I increased them a bit. You will only find Careers in double digits and nobody else! **

**Some of these will seem disproportionately low or high for the tribute. This is because the author told me what the tribute did in his/her private session and it made sense to me.**

* * *

><p><span>District 1:<span>

**Nyx Heyton: 8 (Wobbe)**

Isaiah Barnabas: 1

Tyranny Bomber: 10

**Sparkle DeFontaine: 6 (ChainsAndWhipsExciteMe)**

Greick Sheedor: 6

Mars Pyrros: 7

Goldstar McQueen: 8

Auden Walters: 7

District 2:

Thad Welligton: 8

**Emmet Westercamp: 7 (Wobbe)**

Whisper Willow: 9

Acacia Andalu: 11

Barlen Wickeher: 5

Crash Hatch: 9

Belle Adore: 4

Smash Hatch: 9

District 3:

Wreck Swider: 7

Danny Robin: 8

Candella Anders: 6

**Arabella Rae: 6 (BloomingRue)**

Darren Catalyst: 5

Apollo Mariner: 4

Sira Kawerky: 1

Deanna "De" Campbell: 5

District 4:

Moss Darya: 9

Kole Devon: 9

Rye-Ann Brooke: 7

Cassandra Tyme: 8

Toby Darya: 4

Acestes 'Ace' Adrina: 7

Marynna Breck: 8

Bellona 'Ona' Adrina: 7

District 5:

Cain Mohen: 6

Haemon Nightshade: 9

Astrid Evans: 9

Syeira Laviah: 7

Cyei All: 3

Len Supin: 5

Lucy Evans: 7

Andala Chayne: 9

District 6:

Micajah "Cage" Newton: 2

Fallen Dean: 6

**Riley Tour: 5 (TributeSix)**

Janael "Nellie" Smythe: 5

Wesley "Wes" Goode: 1

Ty Leowne: 6

Shirly Tranner: 2

Leia Dean: 3

District 7:

Creig Donivan: 7

Eagle Sterling: 8

Danica Redmond: 5

Shine Scott: 9

Xander Briant: 7

Colin Villanueva: 6

Amber Elmore: 6

Lila Flemings: 9

District 8:

Donnie MacDardo: 8

Alex Brown: 9

Gretchen Winchester: 6

Lisa Brown: 6

Kendyll Brown: 7

Jamie Wretherly: 3

Holly Brown: 3

Trinity May Belle: 7

District 9:

Conall Carteiar: 5

Sen Arylian: 7

Maybell Flince: 6

Poise Caesurea: 7

Barley Harrison: 5

Tinny Mince: 2

**Ivy Ember: 8 (BloomingRue)**

Cassiopea "Cassie" Erin Winters: 9

District 10:

Viktor Wayland: 6

**Farley Pastle: 3 (Wobbe)**

Rowena Wayland: 5

Mica Piprick: 7

Dek Farland: 2

Zach Ryans: 2

Alain Fennor: 2

Lambell Rose: 4

District 11:

Quiinn Jones: 5

Asa Benedict: 3

**Aileen Mellows: 6 (Pordo)**

**Azikah Whisper: 7 (Wobbe)**

Hallin Crow: 3

Jaren Combler: 2

Fae Springer: 6

Maryanne Belle: 4

District 12:

Neil Xaroff: 4

Bolden Tain: 4

Alava Devlin: 9

Brandi Hahn: 8

Robin Pine: 5

Mason Samuel Kent: 4

Sadie Wood: 5

Song Pine: 5

* * *

><p><strong>Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, and I can't wait to see you again next chapter! See you soon!<strong>

**-goldie031**


	31. Strategy Sessions: Colors of the Rainbow

**So, here is the next chapter. I wanted to get this out quicker, but I went out on a 3-day-trip to Washington, DC. During the trip, I wanted to write as much as possible, but here is a list of places we went to in 3 days: American History Museum, Newseum, Spy Museum, Shear Madness (a hilarious play that I'd love to see again!), tour of the the Capitol, I met with our Congressman, Holocaust Museum, Air and Space Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, the White House (we didn't go in, but we took a picture in front of it), National Archives, and then 4 hours at Six Flags. All this plus 3 meals a day. See why I didn't have any time to write!**

**During Donnie's POV here, I have a little code. His thoughts will be underlined, and what Frank says will be italicized. Got it? Good. Also, we will meet two new Emerald sisters. For the sake of the story, Amethyst is 34, Ruby is 28, and our new sisters are 18.**

**Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! This has a lot of character interaction in it that I hope you like.**

* * *

><p><span>Danica Redmond, D7 POV:<span>

I feel like it's been AGES since my private session. I was given lunch a while ago, but I just want to do something!

Suddenly, a voice comes over the loudspeaker.

"Tributes. You are about to have your strategy session with your team. You will have 10 minutes to do whatever you need. Go!"

The walls fall. First, I see a red flag on the wall, possibly signifying that we are the red team. Then, I look around at my team.

Great. I may not be a genius, but I know that this may be difficult.

The first person I see is 5-year-old Sira Kawerky from 3. She will probably not be of any use to us, as she is too cute.

Then, I see Isaiah Barnabas from 1. Great. He's going to try to take over, I just know it.

Then, I see the Hatch twins from 2. Oh, great. These two just don't get along and will most likely argue the whole time.

Greick Sheedor from 1 is also on my team. He has a lot of arrogance, but he is untrained, as far as I know... I'm not sure how that will affect us.

I also see Syeira Laviah from 5. She could be really useful. I think she has a good chance of helping us.

Last, I see the only person who will be logitimately useful - Eagle Sterling from my district. He will be so helpful.

We all take a seat at the table and literally start arguing immediately. The Hatch twins are yelling at eachother, Greick, Syeira, and Isaiah and Isaiah are arguing, and Sira is really confused. Oy vey.

"WHOAH!" Eagle yells. Everyone turns to him, except Isaiah.

"Look, we are going to have to find a way to work together, because we're stuck together until we either win or..." His voice turns to a whisper, so Sira doesn't hear. "...die. So, we need a strategy of some sort, especially for the cornucopia. Any ideas?"

Syeira raises her hand. "Well, we know that the Cornucopia will be mainly weapons, and that the food and water will be mainly on the ship. What we don't know is how the blodbath will work, as there may be more than one. So, we need to make sure that we have a plan for both situations."

"Good point, Syeira," Smash adds. "If there is one bloodbath, we should have me and Crash, and maybe Greick and Eagle, go to get weapons and everyone else should try to find the ship. Since me and Crash are Careers, we can fend for ourselves to get weapons, but we would need help to get to the ship. We would just need everyone's weapon of choice."

Crash nods in agreement.

"I could probably help with the weapons, too!" Syeira says. She seems a bit aggrivated.

"And that would mean Danica would have to try to get Isaiah and Sira to the ship," Eagle says. "OK with that?"

I nod.

Ok, great, but what if there are multiple bloodbaths?" He continues.

"Well, we have 5 people who can gather weapons. What if we assign everyone a weapon to get! Then, wherever they end up, they can get those weapons," Crash quietly suggests. It seems like a good idea. Everyone else agrees.

We spend some time working everything out so we know who gets which weapon. Smash is helpful and trustworthy, while Crash is sullen and silent.

We are finally able to work something out. Greick will only get knives, an easy weapon as he is untrained. Syeira asks for a sword and staff, which she will collect. Smash will collect knives and a sword for her and knives for me. Crash has to get a sword and a spear, and Eagle will get an axe. Isaiah was not being helpful at all and apparently has no weapon knowledge, and Sira is simply too young.

Things seem to be going realtively OK, but Smash and Crash keep glaring at each other. That could be problematic.

* * *

><p><span>Donnie MacDardo, D8 POV:<span>

Great.

Gretchen and I were separated when the teams were made.

Instead, I'm with Auden Walters from 1, Whisper Willow from 2, Wreck Swider and Deanna Campbell from 3, Wesley Goode from 6, Barley Harrison from 9, and Alava Devlin from 12. It's not horrible, but I WANT MY GRETCHEN!

I guess I'd better deal with it.

Auden is very cute, but there is something weird about of her. Meanwhile, Whisper and Wreck are shooting dagger-eyes at each other. I'm a bit confused, so I ask them what's up. Whisper replies, "Both of our brothers were in the 96th Hunger Games."

"Her brother, Oliver, killed my brother, Tagir," Wreck continues. "So I wanted revenge, but I guess this got in the way."

Barley speaks up. "You guys are gonna have to get along!"

Alava nods. "Barley's right. I know you want revenge, Wreck, but you really have to try to get along with Whisper. But, maybe we would allow you to give Whisper a small cut at some point."

We nod. Even Whisper agrees to that. Wreck seems a bit upset, but agrees.

"OK, now, strategy. We need WEAPONS!" Wreck says.

Suddenly, Frank pops into my mind.

_Hey, Donnie._

What, Frank?

_You know how Whisper is on your team?_

Yeah.

_Well, maybe Gretchen is on Thad's team._

Your point?

_Well, if you are on Whisper's team, and Thad is on Gretchen's team, then you may be able to switch teams with Thad. Then, Whisper and Thad would be together, and you and Gretchen would be together._

You know, that might actually work.

_Awesome! Now, what's your weapon of choice._

Huh?

"I said, what's your weapon of choice, Donnie? Come on, we still have a lot to do!" A very angry Alava says.

I shake my head. "Sorry, I was daydreaming. I'd say... um... a (insert later)"

"Good."

She turns away and starts talking to Whisper.

I find myself thinking about Frank's suggestion. I just have to catch Thad right after our private session.

* * *

><p><span>Neil Xaroff, D12 POV:<span>

OK. Which idiot put Marynna Breck from 4 and Len Supin from 5 on the same team? I think that that was a horrible idea, although, they'll probably tire each other out after a while... and I now get why we are on the yellow team.

Also on my team are Astrid and Lucy Evans from 5, the sisters with the divorced parents. Rumor has it that their parents are having another kid even though both are remarried.

Also on my team is Candella Anders from 3. She is very quiet, however, there is an intelligent glint in her eyes. I have a feeling she will become very useful.

Jamie Wretherly from 8 is also quite intelligent, which will also be of assistance. He is incredibly likeable, which may help us get sponsors.

Our last team member is Quiinn Jones from 11. Not only is he funny and likeable, but he is kind and caring, and, when he saw that Lucy was a little nervous, he pulled her over and tried to cheer her up.

We gather around the center table to get started. Lucy timidly starts the meeting.

"I think we should start our (del) by coming up with a team name," she suggests. Everyone thinks it could be nice.

"what**about**electric**yellow**cause**yellow**is**always**bright**and**electric?" Len quickly suggests.

"But not all of us are from 3..." Jamie points out.

"Hold on. We only have 10 minutes. We should be focusing on strategy, not a team name."

"Good point, Candella," Astrid says. "The most difficult part will be the bloodbath, because we don't want to go in, per se, but we're going to need weapons. I'm pretty fast, and Quiinn seems pretty strong. Would you go with me if we figure out what to get?"

"Sure," Quiin replies. "But what do we have to get?"

"A slingshot for me," Lucy announces, "and a bow and arrow for Astrid. Those are our best weapons."

Marynna, who is slightly less hyperactive than Len, says, "Please get knives for me. I've trained in many weapons, but those are my best."

"Slingshot for me, too," Jamie adds.

"I'm good with knives," Candella starts, "but I would also love some rope or something to make traps. That, or something for an explosive."

I keep quiet, as a have for the entire meeting. Everyone else is just so... energetic and happy, and nothing at all like me. I don't want to be involved.

"Now, what about an overall Games strategy?" Candella asks.

"Well, I think a good place to start is only kill if necessary. Agreed?"

"Yeah, good idea, Lucy. Even more, we should pool our resources," Quiinn adds. "So, if someone manages to get a bag filled with water, we should share it."

Everyone nods.

"Also," Jamie breaks in, "We should take turns piloting the ship. This way, if someone is absolutely horrible, we don't have to be stuck with him."

"Or if someone gets seasick," Lucy continues.

Everyone starts to talk at once, somehow hearing each other. I sit back; I like being alone.

* * *

><p><span>Rowena Wayland, D10 POV:<span>

Three sets of siblings.

Three.

I don't know why the Gamemakers did that, but I think that working with so many sets of siblings will be interesting.

Robin and Song Pine from 12 seem a little bit like the Hatch twins to me, as they are practically opposite, personality wise. Robin wild and adventurous, while Song is a quiet and shy.

Fallen Dean from 6 kind of aggrivates me, since he is so laid back, when there is so much on the line. Leia, his little sister, is so shy and sweet, and really hits the soft spot in my heart. I notice that Fallen really seems to care for her.

The other younger kid that I want to take under my wing is Tinny Mince from 9. I feel so bad for him. He is always so sick, but he is so nice and friendly. I don't know how!

The other person on our team is Brandi Hahn, also from 12. She seems very rude, but there might be something inside that isn't rude, because her eyes have a bubbly look to them.

And, of course, Viktor and me.

We start to work on strategy almost immediately, because we can't waste time. We quickly come up with a bloodbath strategy - run, as we have no Careers. The more important strategy is what happens later.

"First," Brandi starts, "What should we do about splitting up?"

"What do you mean?" Robin asks.

"Well, what if we need to find something and we need to split up, what do we do?"

"Well," I break in, "We should just try not to split up as much as possible. That's the easiest solution."

"But," Leia breaks in, "What if we're forcibly split up?"

"I have an idea," Fallen says. "Robin and Song, what are your tokens?"

"We each have a half a coin," he replies.

"Perfect! We can use those coins as a signal. If anyone gets separated, we can use Morse code to signal each other. Next."

"Cooking. We need food, and if anyone catches anything, we need to figure out how to cook. Can anyone light a fire?"

Everyone gives Brandi some blank stares, but she has a good point. What will we do?"

"Well, I'm pretty good at edible plants," Song pipes up. "That could help. I mean, we don't NEED meat!"

"Great!"

We end up discussing pretty much any and every situation that could occur in the Arena. I am feeling ready for this!

* * *

><p><span>Nyx Heyton, D1 POV:<span>

I'm the only Career on my team.

Lucky me.

Darren Catalyst from 3 and Dek Farland from 10 are really hitting it off. Both are very sweet, and they get along really well. Darren has introduced Dek to imagination, which has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for him. They will most likely not be of much use.

Trinity May Belle from 8 and Marianne Belle from 11 are sitting next to eachother, holding hands. They're obviously making up for lost time.

Sen Arylian from 9 is thinking and pondering. I'm not sure why.

Akizah Whisper, also from 11, is also sitting quietly. She seems pretty nice, though.

Mica Piprick from 10, Dek's cousin, and I are sitting next to each other. I decide to begin.

"We need a strategy," I start.

"Well, yeah," Trinity says. "Any ideas?"

This whole thing is really awkward.

"We need to come up with task delegation," Sen says. "This way, one person won't have to do everything."

I get the pad of paper and write down a few tasks.

_Leader_

_Lookout (2)_

_Navigator_

_At the Wheel_

I look up. Everyone thinks these are pretty good. We begin to delegate.

Marianne says, "I think that Nyx or Mica should lead. Maybe they can lead together."

Everyone seems to agree with this. Next to Leader we write_ Nyx/Mica_.

Trinity says, "Sen should be at the wheel, because he seems strong."

We all look at Sen. He doesn't seem so strong, but he may be stronger than he looks. We write _Sen_ next to At the Wheel.

Then, we delegate Trinity as Navigator and Akizah and Marianne as Lookouts. Dek and Darren won't be as useful due to their age and imagination.

"The other thing we have to discuss is the bloodbath," I mention.

"Why?" Sen asks.

"Well, as a Career, my natural instinct is to go into the bloodbath. But I wanted to know your thoughts."

Trinity says, "I just don't want to go in. I know I'll get killed!"

"So, what if I go in, get a mace and a few knives, and get out?" I suggest.

"Sounds good," she says apprehensively. "Just try not to get killed. We need a Career."

I feel really confident about our strategy now. This could really work!

* * *

><p><span>Tyranny Bomber, D1 POV:<span>

I am surrounded by idiots.

Nobody on my team will be remotely useful. Well, except Ivy Ember from 9. She has a fighter's spirit, but she will trust ANYONE, which could be beneficial for me. However, for some reason, I can't bring myself to hurt her. We are both tomboys, and even though she is 6 years younger than me, I think we'll be able to work together pretty well.

Barlen Wickeher from 2 is just talking and not thinking about what he's saying, which is getting on my nerves. He's practically yelling at Shirly Tranner from 6, because, according to him, she's "annoyingly happy", which I don't disagree with. Shirly, meanwhile, is trying to cheer up Farley Pastle from 10, who is sobbing about pretty much everything. He wants his mom. The room is too dark. He hates purple, our team color. He is a total crybaby. Jaren Combler from 8 is trying to help Shirly by trying to convince Farley to be carefree, but it doesn't look like it's working.

Bolden Tain from 12 is staring at all of the girls like a complete pervert. It is really getting on my nerves. He's also talking to himself a bit, but he sounds so stupid when he does.

Our other teammate, Arabella Rae from 3 is trying to give some input, because she has the same characteristic of a fighter that we do, but she has fear in her eyes that seems to suggest that she isn't ready, even though she's 13.

The three of us sit together discussing the situation. Our first major impasse is the bloodbath.

"What do you guys think we should do?" Arabella asks.

By instinct, my inner Career replies, "Go in and kill!"

"Uh-uh!" Ivy says. "You might want to go in, but I don't want to. It's pretty much a death wish for someone my age!"

"Yeah," Arabella agrees. "Neither of us are very strong or anything."

"Ok. So, I'll go in and you two don't. OK?" I suggests.

"Sounds good," Ivy replies.

"Do you want me to get any weapons?"

"Knives for me," Ivy says.

"I want a bow," Arabella continues.

"And I need a sword. Now, the rest of the Games. I think I should be the captain of the ship, because I'm stronger than you two," I say.

"Possibly combined," Ivy giggles. Arabella agrees.

"So, I'll pilot it and you two will take turns looking out. Fair?"

"Fair," they reply.

This might not be so bad.

* * *

><p><span>Maybell Flince, D9 POV:<span>

This is a nice team! I have a good feeling about this.

Toby and Moss Darya, two from 4, are really nice. I want to protect Toby because he sort of reminds me of Graham, my brother. Moss was trained as a Career, and Toby isn't, but Moss doesn't want to be with the Careers because he wants to protect Toby, who is always hiding behind him.

Lila Flemings and Xander Briant from 7 are really loyal to each other. Xander is so cute, and I think he and Lambell Rose from 10 like each other, because they're chatting like cute little kids. I just want to SQUEEZE THEM! Lila, meanwhile, is taking everything in, and being very observant.

Rye-Ann from 4 is keeping to herself. She's probably just shy.

Micajah Newton from 6, the weird one, is just talking to himself. I have a feeling he'll die in the bloodbath.

"So, strategy," I begin. Moss says, "Well, I don't know what the other teams are like, but we should stay away from Careers. That's always a good place to start."

"Well, that would be hard to do, as there are 2 Careers on our team," Lila points out.

"The OTHER Careers," he sheepishly responds.

"That's a good start," I say, "but we need to figure out something for the bloodbath."

"Did anyone pay attention to the Quell announcement? There will be food and water on the ship. We won't need to get anything."

"Good point, Rye-Ann," Toby says, "But what if we run out? Moss is a Career. Have him get some food and water or backpacks, a spear, a bow and arrow, a sword, and some knives, and run! Someone can be near him to help."

"I'll help!" Micajah says. "But not one other help. You know what say they: too many soups spoil the cook!"

He's really odd, but that would be helpful.

"Great!" Lila exclaims. "What else is there, strategy-wise?"

"Um... just killing strategy, I guess," Moss quietly says so that Xander and Lambell can't hear.

"Only if necessary," Lila and I say at the same time. I continue, "If someone just happens to fall upo us, we'll take him-her in most of the time, but we won't kill them unless they propose a real threat."

"Sounds good," Moss says. "I think we should spend some time getting to know each other. What do you say?"

"OK!" We reply.

"So, what's life like in ?" he asks me.

We spend the rest of the session talking and really getting to know each other. I think this will go really well!

* * *

><p><span>Cassandra Tyme, D4 POV:<span>

Well, this is a depressing team!

Haemon Nightshade from 5 is on my team and is a complete loner. He's just sitting by himself, thinking. Andala Chayne from (x) is doing the same thing.

The rest of us are sitting, trying to come up with a strategy. I don't like being with so many people, but I have to in order to survive.

I look at my team. Janael Smythe and Ty Leowne from from 6, Mars Pyrros from 1, Belle Adore from 2, and Asa Benedict from 11. Asa is quiet as well, but he looks like he wants to be involved. Then I remember: he's mute.

One thing that I notice is that three Careers are on our team, which sets up the grounds for the mini-Career pack. I also notice that most of the loners are on our team. That could prove problematic.

"So, we have to do SOMETHING," I begin. "After all, otherwise, we have a big disadvantage."

"Well, Belle and I want to go into the bloodbath," Mars says, looking at Belle. They are really getting along well. I think they like each other.

"Me, too," I reply, "But I don't want to get killed. So, let's try to get a weapon first. Then we can fend for ourselves in said bloodbath. The more weapons we get, the better, and then we run."

We all agree.

"Now, the only other thing that is really important is figuring out a leader," Asa writes in his notebook.

"I think we shouldn't have one," Ty says. "That way, we're all sort of equal."

I agree, and everyone else seems to as well. Ty is pretty smart.

Now what?

* * *

><p><span>Danny Robin, D3 POV:<span>

I think I have a pretty good team.

There are two Careers: Acacia Andalu from 2 and Kole Devon from 4. I think that having Acacia will be beneficial, as she is great with any weapon. I saw her in training. Kole, meanwhile, seems to only be god with a trident or a spear.

Also on our team is Amber Elmore from 7. She is the one tribute that we really don't know much about. I'm hoping we finish our session quickly so we can "interrogate" her. Amber seems fierce yet creative, and very complex

Poise Caesurea from 9 is very quiet and keeping to herself. She barely says anything! Another quiet one is Zach Ryans form 10.

Fae Springer from 11 is clever and brave. She and Amber seem to be getting along.

Last is Cyei All from 5. He looks so cute and innocent, but there is something off about him, and I don't know what. We have to be careful around that kid.

We have gone through most of the basic strategy stuff - leadership positions, killing strategy - but we are currently arguing about the bloodbath.

"Look, this may be my inner Career, but I want to go in!" Acacia fiercely says.

"It's not a good idea," Fae retaliates. "We could get killed!"

"But," Kole adds, "We could get weapons."

"I agree with Fae," Amber says. "As much as I'd love weapons, going into the bloodbath is just not smart."

Cyei argues, "But then what happens if someone like Tyranny Bomber attacks us? We need protection."

"OK, look," I say. "I don't want to go in at all. But, we need weapons. And since 3 people want to go in, they can go in and get supplies, like weapons. Let's take everyone's weapon of choice down. OK?"

"Can anyone use a weapon?" Acacia says. "I'm good with a sword."

"I need a trident," Kole says. No big surprise; he's from 4."

"I'd like knives," Fae says.

Poise, speaking for the first time, says, "Long-sword."

"I'll use edible plants!" Cyei announces innocently.

Amber says, "A bat." **(A/N: A baseball bat.)**

Zach says, "None for me."

I say, "Yeah, same here, but I'll share."

At this point, we declare ourselves done with strategy.

* * *

><p><span>Alain Fennor, D10 POV:<span>

This could actually work!

We are on the brown team - of course - and, although I hate the color, I like my team.

I am looking around at my team. I am with Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, and Holly Brown, Aileen Mellows, Mason Samuel Kent, and Conall Carteiar. We all seem to get along OK. Holly is really cute. She's only 4 years younger than me, but I am also talking a lot with Kendyll. He's nice, and kinda cute!

Our team is talking about our foolproof bloodbath strategy - run away!

"Ok, so our plan is, the younger kids run to the bus with Lisa while Alex and I go and get some supplies, right?" Conall clarifies. He is a born leader, and he's 3 weeks older than Alex, which helps. Both are 17.

We all nod.

"OK. We need weapons, right? What is everyone's weapon of choice? Mine is a spear," Conall begins.

"I'm good with a sword or dagger," Alex starts.

"I'm not really great with any weapons, but I could figure out a knife, so I could share Alex's knives," Lisa adds.

"Daggers for me, too," Kendyll says.

We all look at Holly, and then look away. She can't work a weapon for her life.

"Knives for me," Aileen adds.

"A slingshot for me," Mason says.

"Me too," I add.

"OK, so we'll go in to get supplies. I think that'll work. What is our other strategy?" Conall asks.

"Well, protect the younger kids," Lisa suggests. "By younger kids, I mean Holly, Mason, and Alain."

"I agree," Mason and I say at the same time. We all laugh.

"So, next, just survival stuff. Edible plants and stuff," Alex says.

"That won't be so difficult. A few of us used edible plants during training. We should be able to do it together."

I think we may be able to work this out. We are going to do great!

* * *

><p><span>Shine Scott POV:<span>

I'm so glad the Gamemakers put me with some other Careers.

Sparkle DeFontaine is on my team, and it's nice to have a familiar face. Her sister, Emerald, was my training partner from when we were 5 to when we were 12, when I moved.

The other Career is Emmet Westercamp from 2. He's a bit cocky, but really quite sweet.

Apollo Mariner from 3 is outgoing and smart. His intelligence will be really useful on our team.

Creig Donovan from 7 is just a & %# plain and simple. Just him being in the room makes the little kids squirm. I don't like him, but I can't kill him.

Cassiopea Erin Winters - thank goodness I can call her Cassie - from 9 is very blunt. I like that about her; she's not afraid to speak her mind.

Saide Wood from 12 is shy, but she's beginning to open up, which is nice. I like her!

Then, there's Hallin Crow from 11. He's quiet and shy. I don't think he'll be of much use.

We're nearly done. We've decided to go right into the bloodbath, except Cassie, Sadie, and Apollo, who will go to the ship. We know it's risky, but it may be worth it!

Now, we're working on groups, so if we have to leave the ship, we can without trouble.

"My idea," Sparkle says, "is put Careers with non Careers. This way, we can protect everyone. There are three Careers and... 5 others."

"Just double up! So, I'll go with Cassie," I start. "Sparkle, you can go with Sadie and Apollo, and Emmet, you can go with Creig and Hallin."

"No. I don't want to go with Creig. Why can't you go with Creig, Shine?" Emmet protests.

"Why don't you want to go with him?'

"There shouldn't be two older boys together. So, you should go with Crieg."

"But, you two would work great together!"

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. And with Hallin, it would be PERFECT!"

"OK!"

Emmet is so gullible.

* * *

><p><span>Thad Wellington, D2 POV:<span>

Half of our team are Careers.

Goldstar MacQueen from 1, and Bellona and Acestes Adrina from 4, and I are all Careers. Goldstar, Bellona, and Acestes have really hit it off. Bellona and Acestes even let Goldstar call them by their special nicknames: Ona and Ace. Bellona then went on to announce that if anyone else called them without their permission, she would maim them.

Also on our team is Colin Villanueva, the grumpy one from 7. He's sitting there, sulikng to himself.

Cain Mohen from 5, the guy who went on a rant the night of the Chariot Rides is on our team as well. He is in a chair, sitting in a very relaxed manner.

Riley Tour from 6 has sparks in her eyes. I can't tell whether she's thinking or mad.

Then, there's Gretchen Winchester from 8. She's upset that she isn't on Donnie's team, but then again, I wanted to be on Whisper's team.

Our strategy session is winding down. We have decided to go into the bloodbath, and we are currently discussing piloting the ship.

"OK, so, I think that Thad should be the pilot," Goldstar suggests.

"Why?" Ona asks.

"Well, I think he's the strongest. He's definitely stronger than Colin or Ace, but I can't tell if he's stronger than Cain."

"He's stronger than me," Cain says. "He can pilot the ship."

"OK."

Suddenly, the voice that we heard at the beginning comes over the loudspeaker again, surprising us. "Tributes! Your strategy session is now over. Please exit through one of the two doors and go straight to your floor in the training center. Thank you."

We oblige, and file out. Cain stays behind for a bit, possibly to stay in and anger the Capitol.

Our strategy room is all the way on the right, so I turn to the left and start walking. Suddenly, Donnie, coming out of the second room from the left, says, "Hey, Thad, can you come here a minute?"

Donnie and I met the night of the Chariot Rides. We noticed that we each had a girlfriend in the Games, so we started talking and got along pretty well. So, I go over to him, because he probably wants to "chat".

"What's up, Donnie?"

"Who's on your team?"

"Um... Goldstar, Cain, Gretchen..."

"Aha!"

"What?"

"I'm on Whisper's team."

"Your point?"

"First night of the Games. Find a way to meet me somewhere in the arena on your ship. We'll switch shirts and teams."

I think this over. On the one hand, it would put me with Whisper. On the other hand, the Gamemakers may get mad at me.

I guess it's worth the risk.

"OK, I'll do it."

"Great. Now, let's get upstairs!"

I go up to floor 2, aka our floor on the training center. We are pretty much immediately served dinner, and then settle in on the couch to watch them reveal the training scores. **(A/N: This is still the same day as the Gamemaker sessions!)**

My score is an 8, which I'm satisfied with. At the end, I go straight to bed. Today was a long day.

* * *

><p><span>3rd Person POV:<span>

Amethyst was working on the Arena when she heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Amber and Jade!'

"Come on it."

Amber and Jade were Amethyst's younger sisters. They had just been altercated to look like their sisters. Each Emerald has sparkly hair the color of their name and green eyes. Both were Gamemakers-in-training

"What's up, my little sisters?"

"We were watching the strategy sessions and we saw something weird," Amber said.

"Yeah! Thad and Donnie were talking about switching teams!" Jade finished.

"Thanks for telling me, girls. Go make sure the controls are working, but don't hit any red buttons. OK?"

"OK!" They say, and walk out.

Amethyst sinks back in her chair. This is not good.

* * *

><p><strong>So, that's the chapter. I hope you liked it, because it was fun for me! I think this is the longest chapter yet! By the way, the order of the strategy sessions: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, white, brown, silver, gold.<strong>

**Two other things.**

**1. Poll on my profile. Really excited about this one! Please vote in it, because it may/may not affect the outcome of the Games.**

**2. I have a new community, called "Katniss is Pregnant?"! If you want to be staff and/or have a story you want me to add, please PM me. If you are sending me a story, please send me the story id as well as the like.**

**Anyways, I think that's it. 2 more chapters until the Games, but I can only assure those 2. I leave for camp on June 26th, come back August 15th, but then I'm going camping form the 19th to the 26th. So, I'll try to get those two chapters (interview and launch) done before the Games. I hope to be able to do that.**

**Anyway, I'll try to do the interviews quickly. They'll be easier, as they won't have any tribute interaction. I can't wait to write!**

**See you soon!**

**-goldie031**


	32. Interview: Important Impressions

**Here is the next chapter, the interviews. This will be an easier chapter for me, because I have a little more control over the situation. By the way, PLEASE vote on the poll on my profile, because I have a major tie.**

**So, here goes nothing!**

* * *

><p><span>Auden Walters, D1 POV:<span>

It is now time for the interviews. All 96 of us have a pit in our stomachs, ranging from small to large - at least, I think everyone does. Mine is medium-sized.

They have lined us up by district, then we are sub-arranged into younger girls by age, younger boys by age, older girls by age, and older boys by age. Yup, that means I'm first.

I'm wearing a very cute dress. It's gold, and has brown swirls and flowers all over, thick brown ribbon around my waist, and a brown bow right in front. I've never been the dress type, but I sorta like it. My brown hair, normally in unruly curls, has been straightened and re-curled to make it look neater.

We are led out onto the stage by the Capitol stage managers and sit down in our seats. Mine is first. They quiet us down, and we're live!

"Welcome to the interviews for the 100th Hunger Games! I'm Caesar Flickerman, your host. Before we begin with the interviews, let me explain how this is going to work.

"We have divided the tributes into 4 groups of 24. Districts 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. In between each group, there will be a 5 minute break. And, yes, each tribute will have 3 minutes. So, let's get started with Auden Walters from District 1!"

I skip up to Caesar. The audience awws at the sight of me. I note that his color is gold this year, because it's a century.

"So, how are you, Auden?"

"Super-duper, Caesar. How are you?"

"Wonderful, Auden. So, what has impressed you the most about the Capitol so far?"

"All the beautiful colors all over! It's so pretty! I love how creative everyone here is, too (giggle)!"

"So, what is life like back home?"

Well, I have three big brothers named Claudio, who's 23 Laurent who's 19, and Antonion who's 17. I also have four big sisters. Devon's 21, Maya & Mia are 16, and Thalia is 12. But I'm my parent's favorite!"

"Do you like your siblings?"

"They're super-nice to me!"

"So, what is your strategy for the Games?"

"I'm really scared for them! I don't wanna die!"

The audience sighs.

"Do you think you could win?"

"I hope so!"

The buzzer sounds.

"Well, that's all the time we have. Best of luck, Auden Walters from District 1!"

I skip back to my seat to cheers and claps. I think I just bought myself a lot of sponsors.

* * *

><p><span>Greick Sheedor, D1 POV:<span>

I am so ready for this! Caesar won't know what hit him!

"Greick Sheedor, District 1!"

I confidently stride to the chair and sit as confidently as is possible while sitting.

"Greick, are you ready for the Games?"

"Of course, Caesar! I mean, my father is a Victor and he has helped me a lot. Even though I am untrained, I know I'll win!"

"What do you think of some of the other tributes?"

"None are as good as me! I am the best!"

"What impresses you the most about the Capitol?"

"How everyone loves me!"

"What is life like back home for you?"

"Well, I live with my Mom and Dad. They were going to let me start training when I turned 12, but..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

The buzzer sounds.

"Well, good luck to you, Greick Sheedor from District 1!"

* * *

><p><span>Smash Hatch, D2 POV:<span>

I like my outfit: a loose, elegant, white dress. I have black wings painted on my cheeks and tattoos of feathers on my hands, and my fingernails are painted black. I'm wearing white flats with diamonds and pearls scattered on them.

"Smash Hatch from District 2!"

I confidently approach the stage.

"So, Smash, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, Caesar. I have just had the best time here! Everyone is so helpful!"

"So, I think we all want to know what your relationship with your brother is."

"Well..."

Boy, starting out with the tough one, isn't he?

"We've actually trained together since we were 4. As you will soon see, we are VERY different. We don't get along so well, because we have to be together every minute of every day."

"So, why did he volunteer after you?"

"I think he didn't want me to have all of the glory! (Giggle)"

"Now, what's your relationship with your parents?"

"Well, Crash will probably get mad at me for saying this, but I'm their favorite!"

"So, Smash, to shift topics, what do you want to accomplish through the Games?"

"Well, please my parents. I was supposed to volunteer when I turned 17, and Crash at 18, but there was a small change of plans. I don't think they're confident in my ability to win. I want to prove them wrong!"

Caesar opens his mouth to ask another question, but before he can, the buzzer sounds.

"So, I guess we're out of time. Best of luck to Smash Hatch of District 2!"

* * *

><p><span>Moss Darya, D4 POV:<span>

While the first group is going, the rest of us are in a big, white room. There are white couches, white tables, white everything. Also, there is a TV screen showing us what's going on on stage.

I note a wide variety in the interview outfits of the girls. Andala Chayne from 5 is wearing a black and grey plaid dress with chains all over it. Poise Caesurea from 9 is wearing a long, black dress with a tight bodice and a slit by her left leg. She is wearing large black heels and her hair is down. Lambell Rose from 10 is wearing a pink dress with a pink headband with a bow on it, and there is a little blush on her cheeks. Syeira Laviah from 5 is wearing what she says is a black and gold chi pao. Get my drift?

Danny Robin, in a white tux, goes up for his interview. Suddenly, a stage manager comes in and says, "Ok, when I call your name, stand in front of me, behind the person I called before you. Bellona Adrina, Marynna Breck, Acestes Adrina, Toby Darya, Rye-Ann Brooke, Cassandra Tyme, Kole Devon, Moss Darya..."

When Danny is finished with his interview, he sits down. The 1-3 tributes are led offstage stage left, and we are led on stage right. We file in and sit down, and get ready to restart.

After seemingly no time, Caesar says, "Moss Darya, District 4!" I walk up to him and strongly shake his hand, and sit down in the interview chair.

"So, Moss, how are you?"

"Good. A bit nervous for tomorrow."

"I guess I don't have to ask why?"

"Well, obviously, I'm nervous to go into the arena. But more than that, I'm nervous for Toby to go into the Arena. I mean, look at him! I mean, he's so small and scared. I have to protect him, because he can't protect me."

"That's so sweet! So, is he like this all the time?"

"Well, yeah. At home, he would always hide behind my legs when we went outside. He depends on me. I want him to make it out, but if he does and I don't, I wouldn't know what to do. Even though I'd be dead. I wish there was some way..."

"Well, this is a weird Games. You never know."

"You never know."

"So, what has been the best thing about the Capitol so far?"

"I think the variety of outfits here. I mean, look at some of these outfits. You have something as weird as Andala and something as normal as Leia. And even how the Capitol people dress. You have people with one altercation and some with so many..."

"Yeah. What do you miss the most about home?"

"The air. I don't know if you've been to District 4, but the air there is very, very salty. And the air here is not. As a result, I'm sort of excited to actually go into the Arena. Because of the fact that thre are ships, there has to be water, and if it's salt water, I'll feel right at home! And hopefully, Toby will too."

BZZZZZZ!

"I guess that's all. Best of luck to you, Moss Darya of District 4!"

* * *

><p><span>Len Supin, D5 POV:<span>

I'm wearing a bright white suit. It's really bright and fun! I love it.

"Len Supin from District 5!"

I run up to Caesar. At least I know his name!

"So, how are you today, Len?"

"Super duper uber good, Caesar! I'm so excited!"

"And why is that?"

"'Cause I'm me!"

"OK, then. What is life like back home, Len?"

"I have a mommy and a daddy!" I say, slower than usual.

Everyone laughs.

"What are they like?"

"They're nice. They take care of me, but I have no brothers or sisters. I want one, but my parents say they're "too busy" with me!"

Everyone laughs again.

"What is your strategy for the Games?"

"I am going to work together with my team really well!"

"Can you work with any weapon?"

"Not really, but I'll figure it out!"

Everyone giggles again.

"What is your favorite part of the Captiol?"

"EVERYTHING!"

A buzzer goes.

"Well, that's all the time we have. Best of luck to you, Len Supin of District 5!"

* * *

><p><span>Holly Brown, D8 POV:<span>

I love my dress. It's a white dress with a yellow bow. I also have a yellow bow in my hair.

When we went out on stage with a lot of other people, like a girl with really red hair, Lisa told me that when my name was called, go up to the chair in the front.

"Holly Brown, District 8!"

Trinity points to the chair, and I go and hop into it. The people in front of me say, "Aww!"

"How are you, Holly?"

"A-OK!"

"So, is it OK if I ask you some questions, and you try to answer them?"

"Sure!"

"So, what do you think about your brothers and sister?"

"Well, Alex is big and strong! He can pick me up! He doesn't talk much, but he loves me. Lisa is really, really nice. She always helps me with whatever I need! I love her! Kendyll does a lot of jokes. It's annoying, but I still love him, because he's my brother, and he can be nice sometimes!"

"What about your parents?"

"Well, they work a lot. I see them in the morning and right before I go to bed, but otherwise, my brothers and sisters take care of me! They help me get back to school. I miss my friends from school!"

"And what are they like?"

"They are named Cara, Sonny, Miley, and Marie. They're all 5, 'cept Marie, who's 7. They were all excited for me to go on my adventure, 'except Marie. She looked worried, but I donnow why!"

Some people exchange looks.

"What is your favorite part about the Captiol?"

I'm confused.

"Where we are now."

"It's so pretty, like a... what's it called, with all the beads?"

"Kaleidoscope?"

"Yeah!"

The buzzer sounds.

"Thank you so much Holly Brown from District 8!"

Lisa motions for me to come, and I skip over to her. She helps me back into my chair.

"That was fun!"

* * *

><p>Barley Harrison, D9 POV:<p>

I am wearing the weirdest thing. It's gold with brown, black, and white stripes going in all directions. My shoes match the outfit. My stylist said it was supposed to give the impression of grain...

"Barley Harrison, District 9!"

I walk up to the chair happily, and motion to shake Caesar's hand, which he does, making the audience cheer.

"Barley, how are you?"

"Good. Would you mind if I told a joke?"

"No; I think we could all use one!"

"OK. Caesar, what's the difference between eggs and a rabid raccoon?"

"I don't know. What?"

"Remind me never to ask you to buy eggs."

The audience laughs.

"Well, let's get down to business. What has impressed you the most about the Capitol?"

"I think the variety of people here and their appearances. I mean, you have some people who look just like me and others that look like a walking traffic light!"

The audience laughs again.

"Who scares you the most in the Games?"

"The Careers, or most of them. I mean, I'm sure that the ones on my team have no bad intents, but some know 1700 ways to kill me. I don't know of anyone who isn't scared of Careers... wait, yes I do. Other Careers."

The audience laughs again. Which is what I'm going for!

"What are you looking forward to you about the Games?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"What is life like for you at home?"

"Well, I have four brothers and one sister."

"Holy cow! How do you live with all of them?"

"Earplugs."

Everyone laughs again.

"Well, when you have a 13-year-old sister who blabs away all of the time, what else do you do? She's like yikety, yakety, yikety, yakety all day!"

Everyone is still laughing. Seara is going to kill me if I get home, but it's worth it!

BZZZZZZZZZ!

"Well, that's all the time we have for you, Barley Harrison of District 9"

* * *

><p><span>Marianne Belle, D11 POV:<span>

We are led on as a part of the fourth and final group. As I'm in the middle, about, I have a while to wait.

I'm wearing a white, sleeveless dress that falls to my knees and my hair is back in a white headband. For some reason, I am barefoot.

"Marianne Belle, District 11!"

I walk over to Caesar. A sweet smile is plastered on my face.

"Well, you look very pretty today, Marianne."

"Thank you, Caesar! Isn't it so pretty? I just love it!"

"Marianne, what is your life like back home?"

"Well, I have a younger brother named Jack. He is so adorable!" I gush. "Whenever I walk into a room that he's in, his eyes light up. He is the best, and I miss him so much. If I get to go home, I'll protect him forever!"

"What about your parents?"

"They are very supportive of Jack and I. They love us and help us be who we want to be. That is really nice to have in our parents."

"So, we also know that you have a cousin in the Games."

"Yes, Trinity May Belle of District 8."

"Who found out first that her cousin was going to be in the Games, you or Trinity?"

"Well, I think I found out first, because I found out after I was reaped. This year, the District 8 Reapings were before those from District 11. As a result, my mentor, Rue, was able to tell me. But, for some reason, word didn't get to Trinity, because the night of the Chariot Rides, she told me that she didn't know until she saw the reaping recap."

"Aha. You two are on the same team, correct?"

"Yeah, obviously."

"So, what is your plan to protect each other?"

"Well, the problem is, I want to protect her, but she wants to protect me. So we really have no idea who's protecting who. We might just both look out for each other."

The audience laughs.

"So, how do you plan to work with your team?"

"Well, we had a really awkward strategy session, but we have something set in stone. Our strategy is..."

BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"Well, I guess we won't know the strategy. Best of luck to you, Marianne Belle of District 11!"

Neil Xaroff finishes his interview. Caesar signs off. Then, we, the final group, are led offstage, and all of us tributes are led into the training center. When, we get to our floor, we are sent into separate rooms with our mentors. Rue comes in.

"Great job in your interview, girls. Now, tomorrow, you are headed into the arena. Get a lot of sleep; this way, you'll be well-rested."

"What do you advise we do in the Arena?"

"Well, you too are allies, so try to see each other once in a while. Also, cooperate with your team, unless you suspect that something is up. Fae, I'm not sure I'm supposed to say this, but I think there's something up with Cyei. Watch out for him. Now, go to sleep. You will be woken up tomorrow by your stylists, and there will be a wall put up in your room because you're not supposed to see anyone except your stylist before the Games. OK?"

"OK," we say.

"Good night, girls."

We go to our room and get into bed.

"Good night, Fae."

"Good night, Marianne."

Then it hits me.

We're going into the arena tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was considering adding a twist, but I decided against it. It may be added later; I haven't decided.<strong>

**Now, next chapter is the launch. So, we have a few things to discuss.**

**1. SPONSOR POINTS! I still have all of your sponsor points saved on file. If you would like to know how many sponsor points you have, PM me. Now, remember, if you have multiple tributes, you can use your sponsor points on any of them, and if you have no tributes, you can use yours on anyone. Same if all of yours die. Like I said, FM me for the number of points, but it may take some math.**

**2. Actual Arena. I'll try to check on each team each day, but I may not be able to. Forgive me if you don't see one of your tributes for a few days.**

**Now, this was a miraculously fast chapter, but I can't guarantee that the next few will be as fast, mainly because I want a break. I hope to see you soon. Ta-ta for now! (sorry; I had to.)**

**-goldie031**


	33. Launching Into the Bloodbath

**So, here is the bloodbath. I have one launch POV for you to explain the arena outfit and things like that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Remember, you can sponsor your tribute at any time - just PM me. Ready for this? Because I am! Here we go!**

* * *

><p>I wake up in the morning with a pit in my stomach. Then I remember: I'm going into the arena today.<p>

"Chop, chop, let's go!" My stylist, Carter, yells as he comes in to my room. I roll my eyes.

"Come on, Aileen! We're on a SCHEDULE here!"

I stretch and sit up. "Good. Fast-fast shower and let's go!"

Sometimes Carter can be pretty annoying.

I get up and hop into the shower. I figured out which buttons to press for the shower I want, so I quickly press them and shower. I get out and Carter throws a yellow sundress on me.

"Why?"

"It's fast to get on and off. Now, come on. We need to hurry."

He runs me up to the District 12 floor and then to the roof. A Capitol attendant is there.

"Aileen Mellows," Carter says.

"Lane 3," she replies.

Carter leads me to a lane fenced in by dividers on both the left and the right. At the end is a hovercraft. I step onto the ladder and an electric current freezes me. A nurse inserts the tracker that Rue told me about into my arm. It hurts a bit, but oh well. We are then led into a room with breakfast set out.

"Sorry about rushing you like that," he says, as we begin to eat. "We're on an incredibly tight schedule today."

"Why?"

"Well, there are 96 of you. We have to get everyone to the arena without anyone seeing any other tributes. We also needed to go by floor, so the tributes from 12 woke up first, then the ones from 11, et cetera, et cetera. In addition, the age of the tributes was factored in, so the younger tributes were woken up later in their district. As a result, we had to move quickly so that everyone could get to the arena when they needed to. So, you can see how important it was for me to get you up on time."

"How long will I be waiting when I get there?"

"Not sure. They're planning to launch about 10 AM, and it's now about 7, so it may be a while. Don't worry, there will be some stuff for you to do. They've planned to have books and other things to do in the waiting room."

Suddenly, the hovercraft windows black out, and in a few minutes, we end up in the catacombs underneath. We find the door marked "Aileen Mellows, District 11" and walk in.

Carter and I settle down for a long wait.

About 2 hours later, a package with my arena outfit comes in. Carter opens it up. First, I put on some undergarments. Then, Carter gives me a brown shirt, khaki pants, and a brown jacket. "The shirt represents your team and the jacket represents your district," he explains. "Also, the pants have a part that zips off and they turn into shorts." I nod in understanding.

"Now, before we continue, what are the district colors?

"1 is white, 2 is grey, 3 is yellow, 4 is blue, 5 is lime green, 6 is red, 7 is forest green, 8 is purple, 9 is beige, 10 is pink, 11 is dark brown, and 12 is black. Why did you make me do that?"

"So I know that you can identify the other tributes easily in the arena. Let's continue.

I am then given hunting boots and a backpack. I'm curious about the backpack, so I open it up. Inside are gloves and socks with a sticky pad on them, a rope, sunscreen, and a raincoat.

"Why?" I ask him.

"No clue," he replies. "Most likely this is a multi-terrain Arena and the Head Gamemaker is a precautionist. Here, one more thing."

He holds out the anklet I got on the day I was reaped. I immediately take off my right boot and slip it on. "It passed inspection?"

"Yup. One Gamemaker thought that you could cut the bracelet and use the beads as projectiles, but that was shot down. That District 4 girl, Bellona? Her token got taken away. It was a box with a false bottom and a dart in it."

_"Tributes, please prepare for launch,"_ a pleasant female voice says. Carter escorts me to the metal plate in the room. He gives me an awkward hug and backs away as the glass lowers around me.

As my plate rises, I only think of one thing.

I'm ready for this.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: We now begin the third-person part of our story. There will be occasional inter-dispersing of POVs, but it will mainly be third-person. i will skip some seconds in the counting part, but that is just because of how logical time flows.**

* * *

><p>The 96 plates clicked into place. Ever-observant Riley Tour, in a gold shirt and red jacket, noticed that only 32 tributes, including her, had launched there. Where were the other 64?<p>

As if to answer her question, Claudius Templesmith began to speak.

"Tributes! You may be wondering where everyone else is. I will now explain. You have been divided into three islands. If a team is on an island, there are 4 members of that team on that island. These islands are connected by forest bridges. Your goal is to find your ship and get off of the island. Here's the catch: if you aren't off of the island by nightfall, the island - and you - will explode.

"One more thing. There is a secret hidden somewhere in the arena. If you find it, you will get a prize for your team. So, without further adieu, let the 100th Annual Hunger Games begin!"

A gigantic number 60 flashes in the sky, letting the tributes know that they still must wait 60 seconds. "Sira, don't move!" Eagle Sterling yelled to her, on the left island. Sira stood still as a statue.

55, 54, 53.

On the middle island, Gretchen Winchester is confused. Donnie and Thad just had the weirdest conversation.

"Hey, Thad!"

"What?"

"After the anthem."

"OK."

Gretchen looked at Whisper Willow, directly on her right, wearing an orange shirt and grey jacket.

"Any ideas?" she asked.

"Nope," Whisper replied.

40, 39, 38.

On the third island, Arabella Rae was scared. She knew she COULD win, but the odds were nowhere near in her favor.

35, 34, 33, 32.

35, 34, 33, 32.

Farley Pastle on the first island was nervous. He didn't know what would happen, so he burst into tears. Again.

29, 28, 27.

Isaiah Barnabas on the middle island could not have been more confident. He was ready to take control and become king of the arena.

21, 20, 19.

Cyei All wanted to kill. He could see the perfect knife in the Cornucopia. He wanted to get it and KILL.

15, 14, 13.

Looking over the islands, all of the tributes were nervous.

11, 10.

Nobody knew what to expect, but they knew the Games would be more gruesome than ever.

9, 8, 7.

Some stood poised to run away. Some were getting ready to go to the Cornucopia.

6, 5, 4.

But most of them knew one thing.

The Games would start in 3.

2.

1.

GONG!

And all !&$ broke loose.

Most people stuck to the strategy. Astrid Evans and Quiinn Jones, both on Island 1, ran into the bloodbath, grabbed some knives, a bow and arrow, a rope, and 2 slingshots, and ran to the ship on that island, grabbing Jamie and Lucy on the way. Upon arrival, they saw Candella, Marynna, and Len running to the ship.

"Five, six, seven. We're missing someone!" Jamie said.

"Neil. I couldn't find him. He ran right into the same bloodbath as a few Careers," Candella said.

"Adrina twins?"

"Yup."

"Well, let's get moving," Astrid said. She lifted the ship's anchor, and the ship set off.

The gold team was in good shape. Each Career had killed at least one person so far. They also managed to retrieve some knives and daggers, a net and trident, a lighter, and some rope for traps. But, they came out nowhere near unscathed. Riley had been killed and Colin and Cain were each hurt - Colin had a bad cut on his hand and Cain had a pretty bad cut on his leg.

"Well, at least we made some kills," Ace pointed out. "Did anyone get a first aid kit?"

"I got a backpack," Gretchen said. "Let's look inside."

Gretchen extracted a water bottle, a pack of jerky, a sleeping bag, and 3 Band-Aids.

"Well, that's not good! Wait..." Ace took the Band-Aids and attached one to each boy re-attaching his skin to his other skin. "That should do until we get a better bandage."

They all turned to look at the islands. They were already practically deserted. "Here, I'll run and get a first aid kit from the Cornucopia," Thad said. He leaped off the boat and ran back to the island.

Alex Brown on the brown team was the only one of his siblings to notice something weird. Due to the extreme magnitude of tributes and subsequent lack of stylists, all siblings had the same stylist and would therefore be launched together. However, only he noticed that a tracker was not put in his sister Holly's arm. He was a bit apprehensive, but he decided that it could only be for the good.

He was piloting the ship to a strange-looking thing in the arena. It looked like two pieces of cloth overlapping each other, and he wasn't sure why. The team as a whole was satisfied, although they'd lost one of their members, Aileen Mellows.

Finally, their ship reached their destination. They were able to sail in between the "two pieces of cloth" and dock their ship. A door was there that said, "ENTER". They, Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, Holly, Alain, Mason, and Conall, entered, and they couldn't believe their eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>So, that's the chapter. I hope you enjoy. Before I sign off, possibly for the entirety of the summer, I just wanted to ask everyone to PM me right now! Immediately! If you don't, please check the FF story ID 8243713. Please please please.<strong>

**Anyway, like I said, this may be the last chapter before camp. If it is, so long, and I'll see you at some point between August 15th and September 1st...**

**There are still some new Sponsor Points questions on my profile. Toodeloo!**

**-goldie031**


	34. Day 1 Part 2: Doors

**Hey, all! Here's the next chapter. Remember, this is a continuation of last chapter. Also, since the brown team had the equivalent of 2 check-ins, they won't have any on Day 2.**

**Yes, it is a miracle that I got this up before camp. No, I don't know how I did it.**

**Here you go.**

* * *

><p>Doors.<p>

Hundreds and hundreds of doors.

The brown team were craning their necks, and they still couldn't see all of them! Holly's eyes were as wide as dinner plates; she'd never seen so many doors!

"Congratulations, brown team!" Claudius Templesmith said. "You have discovered the Arena's secret. You will only earn the prize if you can complete this challenge.

"Do you see that sparkly gold door all the way up there? If all of you can make it up there, one of you will be able to exit the arena. However, if you choose Holly or Mason, they will again be eligible for the reaping when they turn 14. Go!"

Everyone looked at Holly. "We're taking her out, because Mason is smart enough to survive," Conall said. "Plus, remember, she's the youngest tribute in the Games."

"Really?" Alain said.

"Yep. She's a few months

"But we have to get up there first. Any ideas?" Alex asked.

"We all have rope and sticky gloves. Let's tie each other together into one big chain, and then we can put on our sticky gloves and socks and climb up the wall!" Mason exclaimed.

"Good idea. Let's get on it!" Conall said.

First, they all put on their sticky gloves and socks. Then, they each tied their rope around their waist, and tied the ends together. They ended up in this order: Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, Holly, Mason, Alain, Conall.

"Ready?" Alex said.

"Ready!" Everyone exclaimed.

Alex started to climb, and everyone followed. After another two hours, they reached the top. Alex opened the gold door, and saw an elevator. "Put the tributes you want to take out of the Arena into the elevator," Claudius said.

Alex kissed Holly on the cheek. "Holly, you're going on another part of your adventure now. We can't go with you. I'm not sure if we'll ever be able to see you again, but you will see Mommy and Daddy, OK?"

Holly nodded.

"Holly, I love you. I know you'll be completely fine without us," Lisa said, kissing Holly and pulling her into a hug.

"Bye-bye, little sis!" Kendyll said. "I love you and I'll miss you."

They put Holly into the elevator. The clear doors closed, and the brown team watched as Holly disappeared from view.

Tyranny Bomber was wandering from her place on the third island to try to find her team. "Ivy! Ivy!"

"Tyranny, I'm on the first island!" Ivy yelled. Tyranny dashed over the forest bridge to the first island where she found Ivy standing by the Cornucopia.

"Did you see anyone else?" Ivy asked.

"Everyone else on my island is dead. You?"

"Same. OK, now let's see. We need a few weapons and to find our ship. OK?"

"OK. Here, there's plenty still plenty of weapons left in the Cornucopia. Let's get a few knives, a bow and arrow, a sword, and a spear. Now, onto the ship."

Tyranny and Ivy boarded the ship and headed out.

Suddenly, the cannons went off.

_BOOM! _

_BOOM! _

_BOOM!_

_BOOM!_

Tyranny and Ivy counted 19 cannons. "19 dead in the bloodbath," Ivy said

"Six of which were on our team," Tyranny noted.

"Well, come on, let's go!"

The silver team was feeling decent. Even though Creig and Hallin had both died in the bloodbath, they still had a resilient team.

"So, what now?" Apollo asked.

"I know," Cassie said. "Run."

"Run?" he replied.

Cassie pointed to a ship with gold sails rapidly approaching.

"Yes, run. Gold team has Goldstar and the Adrina twins. We don't want to cross them."

Emmet grabbed the ship's wheel and turned it around, but he was too late. The gold ship rammed into the side of the silver ship. Goldstar, Bellona, Acestes, and Thad jumped on, and the fight began.

Apollo, Cassie, and Sadie ran below-decks, because they thought that the other three, Careers, would be able to fight better. But, what they didn't know was that Sparkle and Emmet both slacked off during their training at home. Sparkle would rather climb trees than train, and Emmet was a bit of a flirt. The three heard 2 cannons, and after a while Shine came downstairs.

"Emmet and Sparkle were killed. Those Adrina twins are vicious!" she exclaimed.

"Well, we have to keep pushing on," Cassie said. "Let's go."

Green was recovering from the loss of Robin and Song Pine. It was only by Brandi's quick thinking that Tinny was able to escape the bloodbath. She had picked him up and carried him to the ship.

When the last two cannons had went off, they were traveling in the middle of the ocean. "21 tributes down," Brandi said. "59 until we all can go home."

"What do you want to do next?" Rowena asked.

"Let's try to find the secret place," Fallen suggested. They started to slowly turn the ship around.

"There!" Brandi yelled. "Right there. It looks like two overlapping pieces of cloth!" Viktor, piloting the ship, turns the ship to the overlap and starts to sail there. It takes a while, but they finally get there, just as Holly enters the Elevator.

"I think we missed the prize," Rowena bluntly says.

"So, what now?" Tinny asks.

"Well, there's lots of doors. Let's explore a bit," Fallen suggests.

And they did.

On the pink team, Lambell and Xander were sitting and talking cutely.

"They're so cute together!" Lila remarked, talking to Moss Darya.

"I know. Their personalities are so similar, that it works."

Pink had only lost Micajah Newton so far, and they were in pretty good shape. Moss had gotten everything that they'd wanted to get in the Bloodbath and had escaped unharmed. They had boarded the ship and sailed off.

"I think they like each other," Toby pointed out.

"Well, it probably isn't love love like Donnie and Gretchen. Just puppy love," Maybell said.

"Puppy love?" We ask.

"It means that they have a sort of crush, not real love," Rye-Ann explains. "I think it's cute!"

"You have a nice voice, Rye-Ann. I'm glad you're bringing in input!" Maybell says.

"Call me Ann," she says. "And thanks!"

Lila smiled. She really liked her team!

The red team was a bit sad. Losing Greick Sheedor wasn't a big problem, as his arrogance annoyed everyone, but the loss of Sira Kawerky made everyone sad. The problem was, as Danica thought, Sira was the person on the team who was holding everything together, because everyone took pity on her. Now, the Hatch twins were at each other's throats.

"You get on my nerves!" Smash yelled, swinging her sword.

"You get on mine more!" Crash yelled, blocking her.

"You always make Mom and Dad really mad. It gets on my NERVES!"

"Well, you are always so la-di-da-di-da and Mom and Dad love you and hate me!"

Words flew from every corner as the two started to sword-fight. Smash and Crash were obviously equally matched with a sword.

"WHOA!" Eagle yelled, bravely getting in the middle of the fight. "If we're gonna be a TEAM we need to work together. Not fight with each other. Please try to get along."

Suddenly, Isaiah yells, "You, get me a drink, NOW!"

"Don't boss me around!" Crash yelled.

Suddenly, everyone started yelling at each other. Danica accurately notes that these will be a LONG Games.

White team was also in good shape. They had only lost Zach Ryans, and they had retrieved every necessary weapon. But Amber was a bit nervous.

Amber had been observing Cyei All. She noticed that he ha a weird look in his eye and he's looking at the knives with that glint. She decided to stay away.

"Hey, Fae."

"What, Amber?"

"Is there something weird about Cyei to you?"

Fae looked at Cyei.

"Yeah, I get your drift. There's something about the way he looks at that knife..."

"Whatcha girls talking about?" Danny asks.

"We're a little scared about Cyei," Amber admits.

"Yeah," Fae echoes. "Look at the way he looks at the knife!"

"You're right," Danny says, "We should keep an eye on him."

Amber was glad that they were all on the same page.

Blue team had also lost one team member, Akizah Whisper. On the other hand, most of the team was getting along well. Dek and Darren were really hitting it off. They were playing in imagination world, ironically, being pirates.

"Pirate Dek, what's the status?"

"Land ho, Pirate Darren!"

"Do you really see land," Mica asked.

"No," they said.

"For the 6th time, if you don't see land, don't say land ho!" Mica said slightly angrily, but she was happy that Dek had something to play with.

Meanwhile, Trinity and Marianne were making up for lost time. They'd actually never seen each other, but they'd seen pictures.

"So, what is life like in 8?" Marianne asked.

"Well, I have a big sister, Paris, and a little brother, Cobalt. Cobalt's eyes are such a deep dark blue, it's beautiful... er, handsome. Paris is kind of like a role model to me, and she's going to be moving out soon. She wants to get married and have kids. Then I'll be an aunt!"

"And that would be my first cousin once removed."

"Correct. What is life like in 11?"

"Well, I have a little brother named Jack. He's 4. Somehow, he got red hair and blue eyes, and I have no clue how. He's sweet, but a bit rambunctious."

"What do you expect from boys?"

Sen was thinking, as usual, and Mica and Nyx were talking strategy. The situation was going well.

On the black team, they had only lost Haemon Nightshade so far. The thing is, the team wasn't really communicating well.

Mars and Belle were sitting together and talking. For some reason, both found the subject of weapons kinda romantic.

"My weapon of choice is knives," Belle says romantically.

"Mine are too!" Mars exclaims.

"That's so funny!"

"I like you, Belle."

"I like you, too."

Asa was trying to talk with Cassandra. The problem was, he couldn't find a pencil and Cassandra didn't know sign language. After the 8th attempt, Asa stormed off.

Nellie was looking at Andala wistfully. Andala reminded Nellie of her sister, Rachle. She made a pact, then and there to protect her.

Suddenly, the anthem played. Everyone looked up to see the deaths in the day. They were:

**(A/N: This will replace the death recap usually put at the end of the chapter, unless I stop a chapter in the middle of the day. Also, you can check my profile to see who is still alive.)**

Greick Sheedor, District 1

Sparkle DeFontaine, District 1

Barlen Wickeher, District 2

Emmet Westercamp, District 2

Sira Kawerky, District 3

Arabella Rae, District 3

Haemon Nightshade, District 5

Shirly Tranner, District 6

Riley Tour, District 6

Micajah Newton, District 6

Creig Donovan, district 7

Zach Ryans, District 10

Farley Pastle, District 10

Jaren Combler, District 11

Hallin Crow, District 11

Akizah Whisper, District 11

Aileen Mellows, District 11

Song Pine, District 12

Robin Pine, District 12

Bolden Tain, District 12

Neil Xaroff, District 12

With that, most of the remaining tributes went to bed. In fact, almost all of them did so.

Except for Donnie MacDardo and Thad Wellington.

Donnie volunteered to pilot the ship while everyone else was asleep. He knew the team was currently in good shape, as they hadn't lost anyone yet. And they'd be in equally good shape when they got Thad.

Through the dark night, he saw the shiny gold sails representing the gold team. He piloted his ship so that they were next to eachother.

"Ready, Thad?"

"Now."

They each threw off their shirts and tossed them overboard to each other. Then, they jumped and swam to the other ship.

Suddenly, a hovercraft materialized over Gretchen. Donnie sees that it is about to fall. He pushes her out of the way, and as it falls on him, he thinks, "At least I died saving her."

_BOOM!_

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about that, Doc Manager malfunctioned.<strong>

**Anyway, this is the last chapter before camp. I hope everyone has a great summer and I'll see you around August. There are no Sponsor Point questions on my profile, but there is a list of who is alive/dead.**

**By the way, keep an eye out for a new story from me, title "Triplets".**

**So long!**

**-goldie031**


	35. Interlude: Make the Connection

**It's so nice to be back on FanFiction! I had an amazing time at summer camp, but being back on FF is great as well. Anyway, I wanted to write 8 chapters at camp. I wrote 2. Here is the first of them, reconnecting practically every interlude I've written. This will make sense of all of my sub-plots and possibly change them into one cohesive plot. Have fun reading!**

* * *

><p><span>Holly Brown POV:<span>

When they put me into the evelator, it took me to a little room. The room has a canopy bed, a closet with lots of clothes, a mirror, and a jewlry box. There's a door on both sides. The um... uh... left? yeah, left door leads to a little playground with a picnic table and the right – I think – one leads to a bathroom.

I sit on the bed. It's really comfy. I start to think about home. I miss my home. I miss Mommy and Daddy and Alex and Lisa and Kendyll and my own bed and my house... I'm homesick.

I start to cry.

* * *

><p><span>3rd Person:<span>

"Well, this is good," Jade Emerald said.

"You're telling me," replied Amber. "We're stuck with a crying 5-year-old. Any ideas?"

"She's probably either lonely or homesick. We need a friend for her."

"So, what we need is - " Amber started to pace " - someone, preferably from 8, who is around Holly's age to play with her."

"The two thought for a few moments, and then came up with the same solution at the same time.

"Elodie!"

**(A/N You know in those movies how the characters are working in an office, make a connection, and then you see them turning a corner and walking down a hallway? Sometimes I think FF would be easier if it was a movie, but yeah, that's what happens now.)**

"Of course, it makes perfect sense!" Amber exclaimed. "Elodie is from 8. I'm sure that, even if they're not BEST friends, they know each other. This could work! Let's go tell Ruby."

Suddenly, Jade and Amber ran right into Ruby.

"What's up, ladies?"

"Well, Holly is feeling kinda homesick. We thought that we could bring Elodie in to play with her."

"Ok, that sounds like a good idea. I'll get on it."

Amber and Jade headed back to the control room where they watched over Holly. Now they just had to wait it out.

* * *

><p><span>Elodie Kelck POV:<span>

"Hi, Mommy! I'm home from school"

"Hello, honey! How was school?"

"Great. I'm a bit tired, though."

I fling my backpack down on the couch and run into the kitchen, where I find Mommy bustling around in the kitchen. I, as usual, grab an apple and a cookie, and give Mom a kiss.

"Did you see Cadee or Toni yet, hon?"

"No."

My Kindygarden class is in the same building as the preschool, while Toni and Cadee's classes are in the elementary/middle building. Aaron is in high school.

"Honey, sit down to eat that very juicy apple. I don't want you getting apple juice everywhere."

I finish the apple, throw the core away, quickly eat the cookie, and yell, "Mom, I'm going to Cerise's!"

"Bye, hon! Don't get lost!"

I run next door and open the door to her sweet, and then head over to her room. Unsurprisingly, I find Violet there as well.

"Hey, Cerise! Hi, Violet"

"Hi, Elodie! Ready to dress up?"

"Yup. Let's go!"

We've spend hours on end here in the playroom, and I'm sure we will again today.

Suddenly, I hear the door open. "Cerise, honey, are you home?"

"Mommy! You're never home from work this early! What's wrong?" Cerise said, running up and hugging her mother.

"Is Elodie here?"

"Yeah."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Sure."

Ruby took me into her room. The moment I sat down on her bed, it started to shake a bit.

"It's a water bed," Ruby explains.

"Why did you want to talk to me?" I ask.

"Do you know a girl named Holly Brown?"

"Of course. We're only a year apart in school, and from the same district.. Why?"

"Well, what if I told you I needed someone to play with her for an hour or two a day? Would you be willing to fill that role?"

"Sure, if Vi and Cer could come with."

"OK, but they won't come today. Come with me."

Ruby leads me out of her apartment into a passageway. We wind through many passageways until we finally reach our destination – an elevator.

"This will take you into Holly's room. Have fun! I'll be there to get you in about an hour. And don't worry, I'll tell your mother where you are."

I go down in the elevator. The doors open, and I see a figure crying on her bed.

"Holly?"

"Elodie!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, there ya go. What do you think? I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the "getting home from school" bit earlier on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my return to FanFiction, and expect a Rue Returns chapter coming up shortly!<strong>

**-goldie031**


	36. Day 2: Fights and Friendships

**Well, here's the next chapter! I am extremely excited for this, as this has a lot of unexpected developments in the story. Also, I'll be working on setting up a poll for the tributes you like, which will now influence results. Now, this chapter is jam-packed with action, but will focus on EACH AND EVERY TEAM except for brown, who has already been focused on in two chapters, but we'll see them again next chapter. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the chapter, because I adore the suspense and Drama. Oh, and one thing will be happening that is unprecedented in a story like this - well, this is the only story like this, so I guess that's cheating. But it's still unprecedented. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ivy Ember of the purple team woke up to the early morning sunrise. Her quarters below-decks were incredibly comfortable, as she was the only one in the quarters meant for 4. She headed out above-decks to see what was going on. Tyranny was already there, at the steering wheel, piloting the ship.<p>

"Tyranny, where are we?"

"In the ocean, Ivy."

"No duh.

Purple team had suffered the most losses on the first day, having lost 75% of their team. Today, both were hoping to recuperate and prepare for a rough day ahead. All they needed was a bit of orientation.

"East is the way the sun rises, so east must be that way," Ivy said, pointing to her left.

"No, it's that way," Tyranny countered, pointing the other way.

"This way!"

"That way!"

"Tyranny? I think we're lost."

The orange team was doing team bonding. Thad had managed to get through the swap unscathed, and he and whisper were holding hands and giggling.

Suddenly, golden sails could be seen in the distance.

"S***... I mean crud. Gold is half Careers. Deanna, Auden, Wesley, Barley: below-decks. Everyone else: grab a weapon and prepare for a fight."

"No!" Wesley yelled. "I don't wanna go below-decks!" He then proceeded to throw a temper tantrum.

"OK, stay above decks," Thad conceded. In all honesty, Thad was happy to get rid of Wesley.

"What about me?" Auden exclaimed. "I'm a Career!"

"Yeah, and you trained for 2 weeks before your reaping. If you want, you can stay at the top of the stairs and do some knife-throwing, but be ready to run down the stairs to Dee and Barley."

Auden nodded, grabbed a few knives, and ran down the stairs, hiding directly under the trap door.

The gold team lowered their ship's corvus and stormed orange's deck. A fierce battle ensued.

Wesley, as he was still above decks, was almost immediately murdered by Goldstar. Ona snuck up behind Alava and killed her, and in return, Thad stabbed Colin. Meanwhile, the trapdoor opened just slightly. A small hand with a small knife in it flicked the knife, and it hit Acestes Adrina in the heel.

"The Achilles heel," Auden whispered. She disappeared beneath.

"OW!" Ace screamed. Ona picked him up as the gold team retreated to their ship. As they did so, 3 cannons went off.

Thad headed back down the trapdoor. "Good job, Auden!" he said.

"Thanks," she added, slightly smugly, and they headed all the way below decks.

Meanwhile, Gold team was in chaos. 3 of the team were careers and hadn't even learned how to properly dress a wound. Thankfully, Gretchen and Riley were both quite smart.

"Ace, on your stomach!" Gretchen exclaimed, as Ona carefully set him down. She examined the wound. "It's a deep cut, but with enough gauze, it should only leave a scar. Whoever threw that knife has one heck of an arm.

Riley grabbed a canteen of water and was pouring it over the wound. In just the nick of time, a parachute landed with towels and gauze.

"Yes!" both girls exclaimed, and they hi-fived each other.

Gretchen grabbed a towel and handed it to Riley to blot the wound. That was to get the water off of the wound as well as the excess blood.

"Get me 3 canteens!" Gretchen yelled, and Ona ran to oblige.

"Will Ace be OK?" Ona asked, in a scared tone of voice that nobody ad ever heard her use before.

"I think so. We just have to work quickly with the bandages."

Gretchen immediately grabbed a roll of gauze and tossed it to Riley to wrap the heel. This proved difficult, as the cut was in an awkward position on the heel. Gretchen headed over to help, bringing the gauze with her.

After about 8 tries, they finally managed to successfully wrap the ankle. "There. It's finished," Gretchen pronounced.

"Thanks," Ace said.

"Try to sit up," Riley said. Ace rolled over and sat up.

"You may have to stay seated for a few days to let it heal. Try not to do any fighting, and we'll try to steer the ship away. OK?"

"OK," he responds.

"I'm so glad you're OK, Ace."

"Me too, Ona. Me too."

Meanwhile, red team was in the middle of yet another argument.

"How come you always get your way?" Crash yelled.

"Because you're annoying, mean, and sullen," Smash retorted.

"You're a mean, spoiled, &!#$!"

"You did not just say that!"

"Oh, but I did."

"You know, Dad told me not to kill you. I may have to disobey him!"

The two went at each other, fist to fist. Eagle had to physically separate them. He sent Crash below-decks and kept Smash above-decks.

At the same time, Syeira and Isaiah weren't exactly getting along. Isaiah was still under the impression that he's supposed to be King of the Arena, and that doesn't seem like it'll change at any time.

"Fetch me a drink," he instructed Syeira.

"No," she replied. "I'm not your servant!"

"Do you dare disobey the King of the Arena?" Isaiah screamed, pointing to the crown atop his head. "Get me a drink or off with your head!"

"OK. First of all, you can't kill me, because we're on the same team. Second of all, what drink would you like: aggravation or immaturity?"

Off to the side, Danica watched the scene with wide eyes. She had known from the beginning that her team could cause problems, and she was right. An idea sprouted in her mind to run away from her team. But would it work?

On the white team, Cyei All was ready. He looked at his knife: sharp as, well, a knife! Then, he spotted his target.

Poise Caesurea was daydreaming, as usual. In her mind, she was back in District 9, in a wheat field, laying down, looking up at the clouds. She was in peace, yet totally oblivious, making her Cyei's ideal target.

Cyei studied his target. He slowly approached her, bent his elbow back, and stabbed Poise in the back. Seconds later a cannon fired.

Cyei put one of his smiley face stickers on Poise's face. Then, he ran over to the bow of the ship and looked over the edge, to make it look like the person who had done it escaped. He was so happy to kill, and he wanted to do so again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the white team were below decks doing team bonding.

"My family is half-Japanese," Amber said. "Japan is another country outside of Panem. My mom, Yoko, and half-sister, Reiko, are from there. My father, Paul, and brother, Bradley, are from District 7. My mom and half-sister immigrated to Panem and then Mom met my father. Each of them had lost their first spouse, so they became close, and eventually married. They then had me and my sister, Angela."

"That's confusing," Fae said.

"Yeah, but you get used to it."

Suddenly, a cannon fired. They all rushed above-decks to see if anyone from their team had been killed, and sure enough, there was Poise, lying in a pool of blood.

"Who could have killed her?" Amber asked.

"I don't know," Danny said. "Look around and see if you can see anything."

Fae ran to the starboard side, Kole to the port side, Amber to the bow, and Acacia to the stern. Cyei was disregarded, for some unknown reason, by his whole team.

"Nothing for miles," Fae announced.

"Same," Acacia added.

"Agreed," Kole said.

"So, nothing for miles," Amber concluded. "That means that (a) Poise was suicidal, (b) someone is a very fast rower, or (c) the murderer is on the ship."

"Hold on," Fae said, her voice dropping a bit. "Have any of you noticed anything odd about Cyei?"

"Yeah," Danny said. "He has this glint in his eye, like he's up to something."

Amber nodded in agreement. "We have to keep an eye on him," she says.

"Exactly. Everyone should keep their eyes open. Have a weapon on hand, just in case, as well, which is a good idea anyway."

"But is there anything we can do about Cyei, Danny?" Fae asked.

"I don't know, Fae. I don't know."

Yellow team had their hands full. Marynna and Len had found a small stash of sugary snacks on the ship. Each had a snack, and now they were going wild.

"Na, na, na, na, na! You can't catch me!" Len yelled.

"Get back here!" Marynna responded. The two began chasing each other arund the ship.

At the same time, Astrid and Lucy were talking in the middle of the ship about sister stuff, and their new little sibling.

"What about Brianna, if the baby is a girl?"

"Why?"

"Well, we were considering Brynn for a boy, so Brianna for a girl! It's cute."

"WE were considering those names, but it depends on what Mom wants. Keep that in mind."

Suddenly, Len and Marynna started running around them.

"Astird?"

"Yes, Lucy?"

"I'm getting dizzy just watching them!"

Astrid held her sister close to keep her from getting too dizzy. She could only think about how much she loved her sister, and all she wanted was to get her sister out of the arena safely - whatever it would take.

Black team wasn't exactly doing much as a team. Everyone was off on their own, thinking. Well, except Mars and Belle. They were sitting together, just talking.

"What's your weapon of choice?" Belle asked.

"Knives, but I'm also good at knot-tying. You?" Belle replied.

"Well, knives as well. And my mind."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, my parents always taught me to not be cocky about my skill, and to observe my opponents. By doing so, I can discover their weaknesses, which is equally important as using weapons. For example, I know that Bellona and Acestes' weaknesses are each other.

"Hm?"

"Did you notice that they were always together, except for the Chariot Rides and the Interviews, where they were forced apart?"

"No."

"That's what I mean. I just notice these things. They are visibly close. This tells me that they couldn't imagine being separated, which makes me wonder: what would happen if they were separated? I think it would be so tough if they were separated. Which leads me to think that their weaknesses are each other."

"Pretty good," Belle said.

_It's weird,_ she thought. _I am so superior superior to everyone else, but around Mars, I feel... like everyone else._

Suddenly, the silver ship began to approach. Mars and Belle sprang up and grabbed weapns.

"Knives," Belle said.

Cassandra also sprang to attention. She grabbed a trident to prepare. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough to save Ty. A cannon soon fired. However, due to the small size of the silver team, they didn't want to risk losing another member, so they made a break for it.

The silver team themselves were plotting. "I want to go see my friend, Brandi, from home. Well, actually, she's my sister's friend, but she's a great taste of home, and I do miss her a lot."

"OK, but we have to be sorta careful," Cassie says. "Shine is belowdecks, and she will kill if she finds out that we're going to another team. Apollo, your opinion?

"Like Cassie said, it should be fun, but we have to be very careful. Shine is not one of those people who is in any way forgiving. So, if she catches wind of anyone with any sympathy, she'll murder."

"Got it," Sadie concluded. "Let's go!"

Apollo took the wheel, and they set off.

Lila Flemings of the pink team was watching her brother, Xander, chat with Lambell.

"Where do you live?" Xander asked.

"I live in District 10."

"That's far away. I live in 7. But I used to live in 10."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My uncle lived in 10. He was my guardian. He had to move to 7 for some reason, and I don't know why. Unfortunately, he died, so Lila found me and took me in. I love her! She's the best sister EVER!"

"You said you lived in 10?"

"Yeah."

"I remember you a bit!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! We were in pre-K together before you moved! I wondered what happened."

"That's so weird."

"Yeah."

Lila was watching from the side with Toby. "Wow, they're really hitting it off!"

"Yeah. Puppy love?" Toby said. "I think we've mentioned that already, though."

"Yeah. You know, maybe they know each other."

"How so?"

"Xander lived in 10 for 3 years until he then moved to 7 with his uncle, who got into trouble with the Capitol. So, they may remember each other from their first year of school."

"Maybe."

Green team was back in the main arena. They had left the doors area the night before and were now back in the nautical piece of the Arena. They had anchored the ship, and were in the middle trying to find something in common, which had been Brandi's idea. She had noticed a disconnect in the team and strongly wanted to change that.

"OK, so, does everyone here have a sibling?" Brandi asked. "I have 3 brothers: Tyler, Rick, and Bob. Bob is a drunk, but he made this necklace for me." She then proceeded to show the necklace to the group."

"Well, obviously, Viktor and I are siblings, but we also have two younger siblings, Wolf, 14, and Fleur, 12. They mean the world to us."

"Fallen and I have each other, and that's all," Leia said. "I love him, and I couldn't imagine being without him. That's why I volunteered."

"I also have siblings. 2 older and one younger," Tinny said.

"Good, so we all have something in common!"

Suddenly, Sadie came on board the ship.

"Brandi!"

"Sadie!"

Everyone was a bit confused.

"Her sister is one of my best friends. I promised her sister I'd protect her, except that we're on different teams."

"These are the rest of the people on my team, Apollo and Cassie."

"Do you have any older tributes?" Brandi asked.

"Yes," Shine's sinister voice said. "They do."

Everyone on green ran. Unfortunately, Tinny didn't run fast enough, and was brutally murdered by Shine.

BOOM!

That got Rowena mad. She had really cared for Tinny as a brother. She grabbed a knife and threw it at a small body.

What she didn't know was that that small body was Sadie Wood. As soon as Brandi saw the knife hurtling toward her, she jumped in front of Sadie ans the knife impaled Brandi in the chest. **  
><strong>

"No, Brandi!" Sadie yelled, running to her.

"Sadie," Brandi said, her green eyes meeting Sadie's grey. "I had to. I promised your sister I'd protect you."

"But why'd you have to do that?"

"Because that knife would have hit you."

"Not necessarily!"

"Look, Sadie. You're strong. Tell Helen I tried my best when you get out."

"If I get out."

"When, Sadie, when."

With those words, Brandi's eyes slid shut, and her cannon fired.

Sadie burst into tears. Cassie and Apollo helped her up and escorted her back to her ship, where she lay down on the deck, sobbing.

On the blue team, Dek and Darren had not yet finished playing pirates at all. They were playing it until they were forced to go to sleep, and the moment they woke up, they started up again. At this point, it was getting tiring.

"Darren, Dek, you guys have to take a break from pirates. Please," Trinity begged.

"Man the port bow! Hoist the anchor! Prepare to set sail!" Dek yelled, he and Darren running around on the ship.

"Dek, Darren, please!" Mica said.

Trinity and Marianne got back to catching up. Suddenly, a parachute came down.

"What's in it?" Trinity inquired, ripping it open. In it was D8 and D11 bread and family photos of each girl.

"Oh, isn't that so nice!" Marianne exclaimed.

"I love it!" Trinity agreed.

Suddenly, something caught Marianne's eye over the side of the ship. She went over to see what happened. "Hey, guys!" she yelled. Her whole team ran over to the side of the ship only to see the white ship approaching.

"We need a plan of attack," Nyx said.

"No, we don't." Marianne strongly said.

"What?" Everyone yelled.

"Yes. We do not need a plan of attack. Fae Springer on white and I set up an alliance on Reaping Day. She wouldn't attack. Now, I'm not sure about Acacia and Kole, but I don't think the rest of the team would. So, what if we propose an alliance?"

"That's not a bad idea," said Trinity. "Having one massive alliance would be so, so, so benificial. It gives us so many more people we can trust."

"Let's go for it," Mica concluded. "Don't make a motion to attack when they come up. Marianne, you talk."

Everyone nodded.

"Dek, Darren, go sit over there and play a game sitting down. OK?"

They nodded, and sat down to play a game.

As white team approached, Marianne prepared to speak. White lowered their corvus, and began to approach the ship.

"STOP!" Marianne yelled.

"What?" Danny asked.

"I have a proposal."

White dropped their weapons. "Go on."

"There are very strong teams out there. Gold team, silver team, and purple, in a way. We have one Career, you have two. My suggestion is that we make an alliance. Our two teams work together. This way, we can have a stronger chance of winning overall."

White huddled up.

"What's your take?" Danny asked.

"Marianne and I made an alliance on Reaping day. I'm all for it," Fae said.

"It does sound good," Amber said.

"Yeah," Cyei said, but in his mind, he said, _More people to kill._

"And we have another Career to work with," Kole said, motioning to him and Acacia.

"So we're in agreement?" Danny said.

"Yes," Fae said.

They broke apart.

"We'll accept," Danny said. "We accept the proposal of an alliance."

"Yes," Marianne whispered.

Everyone headed to the white ship to do ice breakers.

After what seemed like no time at all, the anthem played. Looking up at the sky, the following faces could be seen.

Wesley Goode, District 6

Ty Leowne, District 6

Colin Villanueva, District 7

Tinny Mince, District 9

Poise Caesurea, District 9

Alava Devlin, District 12

Brandi Hahn, District 12

Blue said goodbye to white team, and headed back to their ship.

"Hoist the anchor!" Darren yelled.

"Good grief," Marianne said.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And now for the Author's Note.<strong>

**First of all, as you know, this is the first real Games chapter since before I left for camp; so, since June. As a result, I had these great ideas that have already been mentioned. So, some stuff is repeated from there to here. PLEASE just deal with it. It'll be better next chapter when I have a better idea of where I've been.**

**I also need some help. I am working on a Harry Potter/Hunger Games FanFic. In order to do this, I need a list of available classes at Hogwarts. Assistance is greatly appreciated.**

**Sponsor points will now be disregarded, but if you want me to send something to a tribute, let me know.**

**What to expect next chapter? Well, we'll see what's up with the brown team, the red team will continue arguing (no surprise), and a twist will come into the story that will flip the entire situation upside down. You'll just have to wait for the chapter!**

**PLEASE review! I haven't really been pushing for them, but now I really wan't them. I won't hold off chapters, but a bunch of reviews would be nice.**

**A poll and the change of the tribute list on my profile are coming shortly. That's all for now! Keep an eye on all 3 of my stories for a new chapter.**

**-goldie031**


	37. Day 3 Part 1: ANOTHER Twist?

**New chapter! This one will sort of explain the doors that were introduced in the Bloodbath chapter. It will also bring in a new twist and may be a bit shorter. I don't want to delay this chapter, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Oh, and please vote on the poll on my profile. I really need some responses there, because that will affect the story.**

* * *

><p>"Mason, wake up!" Alex said. Mason groggily opened his eyes to find a sunny day.<p>

"What?"

"Just wanted to wake you up. We're doing a strategy session."

"OK," Mason said.

Lisa and Kendyll were scouring the ship for breakfast while Conall woke Alain. It was a pretty calm morning.

After they had sent Holly through the gold door, they had explored for a while, but had ultimately gone back to their ship and back to the main area. They were all a bit scared for Holly, so they'd tried to stay under the radar. They had succeeded.

Suddenly, Lisa's keen ears heard a pinging noise. "Guys, has anyone noticed that black box before?" she said. Everyone ran over to the steering wheel to see a little screen.

"No, I think it was somehow put in last night." Mason exclaimed.

Lisa touched it and it came alive with her face. "Oh, it has tribute profiles!" she exclaimed, and started scrolling through. "It shows who is alive, how many tributes are alive from each district or team, etc. It's pretty cool."

"What's that?" Alex said, pointing to Holly's name. There was a star next to it. Lisa pressed Holly's name.

"Holly Brown, District 8," a voice said. The only thing was that, in capital letters under her name, it said, "OUT OF ARENA."

"Phew," Lisa said. "She's OK."

Suddenly, trumpets blared.

"Tributes!" Claudius said. "I have an announcement."

Everyone looked up.

"Every odd-numbered day in the arena, there will be a twist. As today is Day 3, there will be a twist. We are having a sibling challenge! All siblings or cousins in the arena will be taking part in this challenge. As such, we will be bringing your ships to where the bloodbath was on the first day and all siblings and cousins will jump into a tube that will take you to the challenge arena. The higher you place, the better of a prize, but if you place really low, there will be a punishment. The contest will commence at twelve noon. Good luck!"

Suddenly, brown team felt their ship move.

"Hey, guys!" Lisa said. "Let's talk strategy."

The team met in the center of the ship.

"So, obviously, Alex, Kendyll, and I are competing," Lisa said. "We just need to figure out what you guys are going to do after the drop-off."

"How about you guys get into a rowboat when we get closer and row to the tube, and we can make a fast get-away!"

"Great idea," Lisa said. "Break!"

Alex, Lisa and Kendyll stay above-decks to get ready, while Conall, Alain, and Mason go below-decks.

"Maybe, if we get a high place, we can see Holly again!" Kendyll said.

"Maybe," Lisa said.

* * *

><p>Blue team had two sets of people going in: Mica &amp; Dek and Trinity &amp; Marianne. They had vowed not to damage each other if possible.<p>

"I'm sure they will try to challenge us in any way possible. This is not going to be easy," Mica said.

"I bet that there'll be something that challenges everyone," Trinity said.

"I agree," Marianne said.

"Imagination?" Dek said. "I like imagination. Can it have to do with imagination?"

"Maybe, Dek. Maybe."

Darren was excited, but also nervous. He was excited because he was going to see Apollo again. He was nervous because that meant that all the teams would also be there. Including the scary Careers.

Oh boy.

Darren stood up to look at the ship. Around 1/4 to 1/3 of the way back from the bow was a mast with a square blue sail, split in half down the vertical center, representing his team. Then, about 20 feet further back is another mast with another, slightly larger, square blue sail, also split down the middle. The steering wheel is at the stern of the ship on a platform three steps up. In the center of the ship is a trapdoor that pulls up, using a ring, to lead to the below-decks area. There are 2 rooms with 2 bunk-beds and a storage room underneath the deck of the ship. The ship is between 60 and 100 feet, to Darren, and he really liked it.

It made him feel like a pirate.

"What's up, Darren?" Sen said, slowly approaching him.

"Just thinking about the ship."

"It is cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I like being a pirate."

* * *

><p>Astrid and Lucy were sitting together and discussing things. Sister things, challenge things, new friend things, things like that.<p>

"What do you think will happen at the challenge?" Lucy asked.

"Probably something that requires archery and speed."

"But how will they make it so that a tribute that isn't so good at archery will have something that they're good at?"

"I don't know, Lulu. I don't know."

Meanwhile, Len and Marynna were playing some hand-games: patty-cake, Miss Mary Mack, Slide, etc. They actually got along pretty well.

"Can you use a knife?" Len asked Marynna.

"Well, I can actually use a bunch of weapons because I trained as a Career, but sometimes I can't aim them right. What can you use?"

"Nothing. I'm just not great with weapons."

"Well, maybe I can teach you."

"That would be nice."

* * *

><p>Pink team had the Darya siblings preparing to compete. Moss and Toby, both from 4, were getting ready. Well, Moss was. He was practicing some hand-to-hand combat with the wall. Then, he grabbed a spear and got into position to throw.<p>

"Hi, Moss," Toby said.

"Hey, little bro. What's up?"

"Just a bit nervous. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen!"

"I get that. We'll make it together," Moss says, pulling his brother into a hug.

"Oh, by the way, what's going on with the lovebirds?" Moss asks.

"You mean Lambell and Xander? Oh, it's just adorable! When they speak, they speak like little 5-year-olds and it's so cute! They even look at each other adorably! It's just so cute."

"Anything else important happening?"

"I don't think so. I mean, the big thing is the actual competition."

On deck, Lila was considering her strategy. There was no way for her to possibly break her adopted brother away from his love, as it may be the last time that the two of them are together.

_"What should I do?"_ she thought. _"I need some sort of strategy. I got it._

_"Protect Xander._

_"Although, I don't think the Gamemakers will do too much to harm him because it's just too anticlimactic. We'll have to see."_

* * *

><p>The entire green team was going into the challenge. That meant that not only were the green team's tributes nervous about the challenge, but also about the ship.<p>

"So, what should we do with the ship?" Fallen said.

"Anchor it!" Leia exclaimed.

"But something might happen with the tube. And if we for some reason DON'T come back, what do we do?"

"I'm sure that the Capitol has figured out something," Viktor said. "Let's focus on some sibling strategy and we can work on this later."

Viktor and Rowena retreated below decks and started to strategize.

"What do you think, bro?" Rowena asked. "Strategy?"

"We just have to meet whatever happens with a relatively positive outlook. Otherwise, we'll get nowhere. Right?"

"Exactly."

Fallen and Leia weren't doing as well. Leia just wanted to be with Fallen. Fallen wanted to try to help his sister overcome her shyness. And he was SURE that would somehow be included into the challenge. He had tried to explain to Leia that they may have to split up, but tat resulted in her in tears wrapped around Fallen's leg.

Fallen sighed. He really didn't know what to do about his sister. He couldn't leave his sister alone, but in order to succeed in the Games, he would need to be with someone a bit stronger.

They **could** both win.

Fallen just didn't know how.

* * *

><p>Smash and Crash Hatch on the red team were in really bad shape. Both knew that they couldn't win the challenge if they didn't work together. At the same time, they knew that they didn't get along.<p>

"I have an idea," Eagle said. "Let's got to a room downstairs and we can have a therapist session."

The three went downstairs to a room.

"OK, Crash, why does Smash make you annoyed?"

"Because Mom and Dad seem to like her better. She does something that I could do, but they seem to like it better when SHE does it. I don't know why."

"Smash, what gets on your nerves about Crash?"

"He's just really mean and sullen. I feel like if he wasn't as mean to other kids, he'd have more friends and be a better person."

"Now, name one thing you like about your twin."

"I like how observant Crash is. It impresses me that he can find weaknesses so quickly."

"Really? I didn't know you feel that way."

"Well, I do. It really could help you in this game."

"I've always been impressed with your knife work. I still don't get how you can ht tie middle of the target so often."

"Well, maybe I can help you."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

"Well," Eagle said. "I'm impressed at how this went. Why don't you guys work together to find out a strategy? I have to go try to use this on Syeira and Isaiah."

"OK," the twins said. Eagle left the room.

"I really can't believe that you feel that way about me. I thought you hated me!" Smash said.

"Well, what can I say? Being with you, I always noticed both good and bad things about you. Now, do you think we can work together on the challenge?" Crash asked.

"I'm sure of it," Smash said, as the two siblings shared their first hug in years.

* * *

><p>Gold team had a really good shot at the challenge. At least, according to the Adrina twins.<p>

"Look, we're clearly the strongest set of siblings in the Games," Ona said.

"Why do you say that?" Cain said.

"Well, we are one of three sets of siblings from Career districts. Moss and Toby just care too much for each other since Toby is so little and Moss loves him too much. Plus, Toby isn't even a Career. And the Hatch twins..." Ona said.

"Are about as cohesive as two rocks. You're right; we've got this in the bag!" Ace finished.

"But something could happen with other tributes, like Viktor and Rowena Wayland. They're pretty strong!" Gretchen pointed out.

"True, but we've still got a great shot!" Ona said.

Suddenly, other ships came into view. Blue sails, green sails, silver sails.

Each ship came up into a circle and a large whirlpool opened up.

"That's probably where we have to go," Ona said.

"Good luck!" Goldstar said, as the twins jumped in. Following suit were all the other sets of siblings, seeing that the Adrina twins were unharmed.

Afterwards, Goldstar seized the moment. She jumped onto another ship and started to fight. A bloody battle ensued. At the end of it, 6 cannons went off. But whose cannons they were was unclear.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you guys think? I hope you like this chapter, even tough it's sort of a lead-up to a bigger chapter next chapter. Oh, and it will be in POVs! YAY!<strong>

**Now for a few things.**

**1. If you've read my profile, you notice I mentioned something about Riley. Let me explain.**

**In Chapter 34, it says that Riley is dead. But, in Chapter 38, it says that Riley is alive again. Why did it happen?**

**When I killed (that sounds so wrong...) Riley, I deleted her name on the tribute list on my profile but I forgot to include her in the names of the people who died. As a result, I copied her form onto a Word document containing the tribute forms of all the living tributes. So, when I came back and saw that she wasn't on the tribute list, I thought, "Oh, I made a mistake!" So, I put her back onto the tribute list. Hence the mistake. Hence why she died and then was alive.**

**So, she was one of the 6 cannons. The other 5 will be determined later, see number 3.**

**2. I need a beta reader. If I can miss something as prominent as a dead tribute being dead, then how many little things am I missing? Having a beta would just make things so much more helpful. If you're interested, PM me.**

**3. If you submitted a tribute, you received a PM from me asking if you are still following the story. I have gotten some responses, but the more I get, the better the chance that your tribute survives this mini-bloodbath. Now, willbo, I don't like naming authors, but I know that I couldn't PM you, so please review this chapter, if you can, so that I know you're still following, which I'm pretty sure you are, considering you reviewed last chapter.**

**Boy, that was a long author's note. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and I can't wait for you to see the next one!**

**-goldie031**


	38. Sibling Challenge, Part 1

**So, we're now starting with the sibling challenge! This is a two-part chapter. We'll start here with a little bit of Gamemaker's Prep and then go on to see half of the challenges. The other half of the challenges plus a little check-in with Holly Brown and Elodie Kelck will be next chapter. The challenges will be from the POVs of the tributes, so I hope you like that.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

><p>Amethyst and Ruby Emerald came into the control room for the sibling challenge. Looking out a huge window, they could see their sister, Amber, on a platform, directing a few workers to different places. A beam over here, swords over there, microchips this way, walls that way. It seemed a bit chaotic.<p>

Ruby rapped on the window. Amber turned around, waved, and headed up a set of stairs to the control room.

"How's the prep going, Amber?" asked Ruby.

"Pretty good. We're nearly ready to go; we just have to finish installing everything and check for safety, but then we're done."

Ruby and Amethyst look out the window.

"What exactly is this challenge? You've been very secretive about this."

"Well, I wanted to test each siblings' strengths and weaknesses, and I realized that having one challenge for everyone was impossible. So, each set of siblings has their own challenge."

"Interesting. So you have a challenge for everyone?"

"Yup. But the Adrina twins have separate challenges. So Ona has a separate challenge from Ace."

"Smart. So, how is this going to work?"

"Well, you're actually seeing a hologram of the sibling challenge arena. That platform down there lets you be a hologram over there. It's pretty helpful when you're directing everyone so they can see what you're doing."

"Do you see that row of doors across from us?"

"Yeah," Amethyst replies.

"So, when the challenges start, the tributes will come through those doors. Actually, if you go back through those doors, you come into a holding room. The tributes will land in a main hallway when they come out of the main arena. Then, the general challenge will be explained. After that, they'll go into their individual holding rooms, where they will learn about their individual challenges. Then, they'll come through those doors and begin. Once they take their first step, they'll begin the timer. Based on their challenge, their history as siblings, how much we tested their weaknesses, and a whole bunch of other factors, we were able to come up with a target time for their challenge. Based on how the tributes do in relation to the target time, we will rank them from 1 to 10. The higher-ranked tributes will get a reward, while the lower-ranked ones will get a punishment. I have it all worked out."

"So, you didn't rig it at all?"

"Nope. I asked Capitol citizens who their favorite tributes are. I based pieces of the challenges and the target times based on that. So it's sort of rigged, but it really depends on what the tributes themselves do."

Then, Amber pressed a few buttons on the control panel. A surveillance screen popped up.

"Once the challenge starts, you'll be able to see all of the tributes from these screens. The walls that will go up will make it difficult to see much of anything, but one camera will be constantly trained on each tribute so you can see what they're doing."

Preparations were going at a furious speed. Cameras were being installed, men with toolboxes were screwing things in, stunt doubles from the Capitol were testing everything out. Yet, Amber managed to keep everything relatively organized.

"OK, we're nearly ready," Amber said.

She checked her watch.

"Two minutes until the tributes come! I gotta finish prep."

Amber headed back down to the platform. She began giving furious directions. Amethyst and Ruby could see taller walls coming up to distinguish rooms. How everything was coming together was remarkable to both, even though they had much more experience than Amber.

Amber pushed a button on an earpiece she was wearing. She then turned around to face her sisters.

"Now you'll be able to hear what I'm saying here," Amber said, her voice coming through speakers on the ceiling. "The cameras should be trained on rooms with TV screens in them, right?"

"Yup," Ruby said.

"The tributes will enter these rooms to discover their challenge. We want to give them a little bit of time to get to know their challenge before they start. Now, when I give you a thumbs up, hit that blue, square-shaped button which will close the landing pit."

A chime sounded.

"Oh, it's noon. Let's get ready to go!"

Ruby took a deep breath. She had taken a huge leap of faith giving her sister so much control, and she could only hope she made the right choice.

* * *

><p><span>Viktor Wayland POV:<span>

Jumping from my ship was probably the scariest thing I've ever done. I must've fallen 40 feet to land in this foam pit with everyone else competing. We're all a bit dazed. Nobody makes a move to do anything thanks to the impact of the foam blocks. Dek and Xander, however, are playing in the blocks. It's sort of cute.

Suddenly, trumpets blare, making everyone look up. An image is projected onto the ceiling of a woman with amber hair and emerald-green eyes; she begins to speak.

"Tributes. Please exit the foam pit to my right and face the wall to the right of the doors."

After some difficulty, we manage to get out of the pit. I have to help Xander out a little, though.

Once all of us are out, the projected image disappears and a hologram of the same woman appears. She counts us, & then gives a thumbs up to someone. The foam pit closes.

"Welcome to the sibling challenge! I am Gamemaker Amber Emerald, and I am the person who organized all of this challenge. Allow me to explain this challenge.

"Each set of siblings will have their own challenge. When I finish, you will each go through a door individually into an explanatory area that will explain your challenge. The doors are in the following order: Crash Hatch, Smash Hatch, Acestes Adrina, Bellona Adrina, Toby Darya, Moss Darya, Lucy Evans, Astrid Evans, Leia Dean, Fallen Dean, Xander Briant, Lila Flemings, Kendyll Brown, Lisa Brown, Alex Brown, Dek Farland, Mica Piprick, Rowena Wayland, Viktor Wayland, Marianne Belle, Trinity May Belle. (Yet another And location...) Please go and stand by your door and turn around so that your back is to the door."

We oblige. I notice how organized everything is, which I guess is a good thing.

"These challenges are all organized the same way," Amber continued. "Each challenge is divided into a series of segments that will enhance your strengths and test your weaknesses. You will not be able to advance to the next segment until you have completed the previous one, at which point a door will open allowing you to enter the next segment room. We used about 8 factors, including your history as siblings, to come up with a target time for each set of siblings. Based on how you do in your challenge in relation to your target time, and in relation to how the other sets of siblings do in relation to their target times, we will rank you in order from 1-10. The highest rank gets the biggest reward, and the lowest rank gets the biggest punishment. Everyone in between will get a reward or punishment based on their place. Got it?"

We all nod, but I'm still a bit confused.

"Once everyone finishes, you'll end up in another room where your reward or punishment will be revealed. Don't be worried if you don't receive your reward or punishment immediately, because we will have to calculate the order of placement, and we may need to stagger some of the rewards or punishments. But, you should all be back in the Arena by two.

"I think that's all of the general things. Please enter your individual door, and goodluck."

I approach my door and it slides open. Looking around, I see that I am in a room with white walls, a white tile floor, and, oddly, no ceiling. A TV showing the seal of the Capitol is on the wall across from where I currently am. Just one other person is in here with me: Rowena.

"I wonder why we all had to enter our own doors if we're working together anyway," Rowena says.

"Maybe not every set of siblings are working together.

_"Hello, Viktor and Rowena Wayland,"_ a metallic voice says. _"This is your sibling challenge. Your sibling challenge style is tag-team._

_"First, Rowena will have to hit 15 bulls-eyes with throwing knives. Then, she will tag Viktor, who will have to slash 20 dummies with a sword. He will then tag Rowena, who will have to solve a lightning math quiz. Once she gets each and every problem right, she will tag Viktor, who will have to identify edible plants. The challenge will not be complete until Viktor correctly identifies all of the edible plants in the same try. The plants will reset after each try."_

As the woman speaks, a camera pans around so that we can see our challenge area and where each segment will be.

_"Each of you has your own separate corridor, so to speak, for this challenge. While one of you is doing a segment, the other will be able to watch from a hallway next to the segment room. You will watch through a glass wall, and you won't be able to send any messages to each other or talk to each other until after the challenge._

_"When you are ready, you can step through the doors, Rowena on the left and Viktor on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."_

The TV disappears into the wall and two doors appear.

"Good luck," I say to Rowena, giving her a hug and a kiss.

"You too," she replies, and we step through our doors. **(A/N For future reference, they're automatic doors, so whenever you get to a certain point in front of them, or when you complete a certain challenge, they open.)**

My room is very much like the room I just came out of. Rowena's room has 15 targets all around the room and a knife rack with 15 knives in the center. My sister takes a knife, winds up, and shoots.

Bulls-eye.

The target sinks back into the wall.

She seems to get into a rhythm, hitting 10 more bulls-eyes in a row before missing. I see her temper flare, and she misses 3 times before hitting another one. This leaves 3 targets to hit and no knives. Rowena thinks for a second, then grabs the three knives from the targets where she missed the bulls-eye and throws again.

She hits all 4.

A door at the end of the room appears and I rush through it, finding myself in a room with about 20 or so dummies in strategic points around the room. In the center of the room is a long-sword on a rack. I pull it out, and the dummies start to move.

My initial strategy is to randomly wave the sword around and cross my fingers. I manage to successfully slash about 6 dummies before one nearly crashes into my head; I manage to duck just in time.

I lay down on my back to see the motion paths of the dummies. Sure enough, they're all traveling on the same motion path. This means that, if I stand in one place, I should be able to eventually get all of the dummies.

I cautiously stand up. I manage to get into a rhythm, slashing 2 or 3 dummies until another comes at me and I have to duck. Finally, just one dummy remains. I ready my sword and stab it through the heart.

A door opens. I walk through it to see - through the glass - Rowena sitting at a desk with a tablet. She's working on the math problems.

Like most times with Rowena, she begins by doing great, but then starts to mess up. She misses first one problem, then another, then another. She flies into a rage and punches the wall, then retaliates, sits back down, and finishes the problems.

I rush into the next room. Scattered around the room are flowerpots, each with a green check mark button and a red "x" button. Obviously, the check means edible and the "x" means not.

I go to one pot and am able to quickly identify it as nightlock, inedible. I see katniss tubers in another pot. Those are edible.

Now I'm stuck.

I guess on the other 30 or so pots. It takes me 40 or so tries to figure out how many plants are edible or inedible, and then another 20 to figure out which ones are which.

Finally, finally, I finish. I run out the door and find Rowena in another room much like the one we started in.

"We did it," she says.

"We did it."

_"Congratulations, Viktor and Rowena Wayland,"_ the same metallic voice says. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

Rowena begins to pace. I sit anxiously on a chair in the room. There is a lot of tension.

After what seems like an hour, Amber's hologram appears in the room.

"Hello, Viktor and Rowena. I am pleased to announce that you have come in 6th place. As a result, you will receive neither a reward nor a punishment. You will return to the Arena as if this challenge never happened. However, you may have to do some looking to find your teammates due to their punishment. Please exit the room and a peacekeeper will escort you to a new launch pad."

Rowena and I exit the room through another door across from where we came in. A peacekeeper appears and leads us through a bunch of corridors to two launch pads. I step on one, and Rowena steps on the other. We are launched onto a small, deserted island. Our ship is docked next to the island, rocking peacefully with the waves.

"OK, so, now we have to find Fallen and Leia. Any ideas?" Rowena asks.

"Well, let's wait here until 2 or so, when everyone will be back in the arena, and then we can go look around."

"OK."

And we wait.

* * *

><p><span>Alex Brown POV:<span>

My brother, sister, and I enter through the doors and find ourselves in a white-walls room with a white floor. A TV on the wall across from me shows the seal of the Capitol.

_"Hello, Alex, Lisa, and Kendyll Brown,"_ a metallic voice begins. _"This is your sibling challenge. Your sibling challenge style is tag-team._

_"First, Alex will have to stab 15 moving dummies with a sword. Then, once he finishes, Lisa will run a 400m dash. Afterwards, Kendyll will use a dagger to carve 10 patterns into wood, and then throw 5 bulls-eyes. Following that, Alex will have to walk a 10-meter tightrope. Next, Kendyll will have to silently make his way through a booby-trapped room. If he messes up, he will have to start again. Finally, Lisa will have to find the key to unlock the final set of doors in a bug pit._

_"Each of you has your own separate corridor, so to speak, for this challenge. While one of you is doing a segment, the others will be able to watch from a hallway next to the segment room. You will watch through a glass wall, and you won't be able to send any messages to each other or talk to each other until after the challenge. For each segment there will be a separate set of rooms. So, while Alex is performing his first challenge, Lisa and Kendyll will be in a corresponding set of rooms. Then, during Lisa's challenge, Alex and Kendyll will be in a corresponding set of rooms to that. The exception will be Alex, as he will have to be strapped into his harness during Lisa and Kendyll's first challenge. This will make more sense once you enter your challenge area._

_"Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area. Alex through the door on the left, Lisa in the middle, and Kendyll on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."_

The camera showed us our challenge areas as the voice talked. Now, the TV has disappeared into the wall, and three doors have appeared.

"Good luck, guys. I love you," Lisa says, hugging me and Kendyll.

"Yeah, good luck," Kendyll adds.

"You'll do great," I finish, and we enter our doors.

Immediately, I spot a sword in the center of the room. I run to it and grasp it, and, pulling it out of the rack which it's in. Suddenly, 15 dummies that I obliviously didn't not notice before start to move around the edge of the room. The path of the dummies seems to take them into the middle of the room and then back out. Since I can't stab the wall, I think I can only stab them when they come out.

Timing the dummies, I realize that I have 5 seconds from when one dummy goes out to the middle to when the next one does. 75 seconds later, I finish the challenge.

I run through the door and find a Gamemaker with a harness. He faces me towards the glass wall - and Lisa - and begins to put me into the harness.

I do note that there is only one more door, very far away. I see that there is a wall that is in Lisa's area that there isn't in mine. I'm not sure why.

Lisa is already running her 400 meters. As she finishes, her time is displayed for me on the wall - 47.5 seconds. Pretty good!

I am moved down to where Kendyll is doing his challenge. He is focused and determined, carving who knows what into wood. It is difficult to see him, as I'm looking through a window in Lisa's room, which I have a window into, but he's certainly doing well.

The Gamemaker uses a wire attaches my harness to another wire that's on the floor of the room. I have no clue how this works, but I hope I don't fall.

Kendyll has continued to work on his carvings, and seems to be nearly done. He finishes his last carving, backs up, and shoots 5 straight bulls-eyes. He runs through his door.

Going through mine, I find that I am on a small platform. A tightrope extends before me. I see that I am over a net, but it's about 10 feet down, so it'll be a decent fall, even if it's not a horrible one. I'm really scared of height, and I'm nervous that I'll miss the net and fall to my doom,

I have to go for it.

I grab a pole next to me and use it to balance. I start to take tentative steps. As I do so, I notice that the wire that attaches me to the wire below me is moving with me. This is probably used to keep me from really falling badly.

I keep taking little baby steps. I'm not looking down. Don't look down, Alex, don't look down!

I wobble a little bit, scaring the life out of me, but I keep going.

Before I know it, I feel a floor beneath my feet. I did it! I conquered my fear!

I step through the door and try to run to see Kendyll's next challenge, but it becomes apparent that will NOT be possible. I have to settle for watching from where I am.

Kendyll is tip-toeing across the room. But, with Kendyll, he can't stay this quiet for too long.

Kendyll steps on a square. "OW!" he suddenly yells. A conveyor belt takes him back to the beginning.

"Come on, Kendyll," I whisper, as the Gamemaker removes the wire from where it is on my harness. I run slightly more centered in my window so that I have a better view of Kendyll. He keeps trying and trying, but he's having a hard time with this.

Suddenly, Kendyll finds himself at the other end of the room. He rushes through the door, and I run through mine.

Lisa is standing right in front of the pit. She sits on the edge of the pit, holds her breath, and slides in.

Immediately, she cringes. I can almost feel the bugs that are crawling up her body. I feel very bad for her.

She begins bravely looking through the pit of bugs. The bugs are of many sizes and colors. Once, when I went to Elodie's house to pick up Holly, they were watching an ancient movie called "The Lion King". One scene had a lot of multi-colored bugs in it, and this reminds me of that.

A big bug crawls up her arm. She cringes, grabs the bug, and throws it away.

I'm so proud of my little sister. She's so brave. I know that she's deathly scared of bugs, so this is big for her.

She suddenly grasps something and holds it up in victory.

The key.

Lisa runs to the door and waves the key in front of a scanner. My door opens, and I run out into a room which looks much like the room we started in. Lisa and Kendyll run in too, and we embrace.

"Nice job, guys," Kendyll says.

"Oh, I was so scared by those bugs!" Lisa exclaims

"But you did well. You made it through," I reply, and we embrace again.

_"Congratulations, Alex, Lucy, and Kendyll Brown,"_ the same metallic voice that we heard earlier says. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

The three of us sit around and chat for a little bit, but after just a few moments, a hologram of that Gamemaker, Amber, appears."

"Hello, Alex, Lucy, and Kendyll," she - er, it - says. "I am pleased to announce that you have come in 3rd place. You will, as a result, receive a reward! You will now be able to spend 15 minutes with your younger sister. Please wait for a moment."

A door across from where we came in opens, and in skips Holly, in a cute pink sundress.

"Oh, Holly, I'm so glad that you're OK!" Lisa exclaims, pulling her younger sister into a huge hug.

"What have you been doing, Holly?" Kendyll asks.

"They brought me into a little room," Holly says. "It's very pretty. There's a canopy bed! And Elodie from home comes to play with me every now and then."

"That's so much fun!" I exclaim, in the little-kid voice that I haven't used in a while.

"How's Mason?" she asks.

"He's good. He talks to me like a kid Kendyll's age, even though he's 5."

"How does he do it?"

"I don't know."

"Are you guys having a good time on your adventure?" Holly asks Lisa.

"Yeah. I mean, it can be scary at times, but it's still a lot of fun!" Lisa says. Lisa's always been the best with Holly.

It's nice to have some time with Holly. We chat for a while, and play some little-kid games like Duck, Duck, Goose. Then, all of a sudden, Amber's hologram reappears.

"Unfortunately, your time is up," she/it says. "Holly has to leave now. We would appreciate it if Lisa would lead her directly outside to the elevator that will take her back to her room."

Each of us embraces Holly. Then, Lisa leads her out of the room. After a few moments, Lisa returns, her face tear-streaked.

The hologram begins to talk again.

"Now, if you would exit your room to the left, you will be led to your launch pads."

The three of us oblige, and soon we exit, a Peacekeeper is there to meet us. We are able to quickly locate our launch pads and launch up.

We launch onto a deserted island. Our homely ship is there waiting for us. Lisa, Kendy;ll, and I head up the gangway to the ship.

"Hey, you're back!" exclaims Alain, giving Lisa a little hug. Alain and Lisa have gotten very close over the past few days. "How was it?"

"Pretty good. We got to see Holly again, which is a good thing," Lisa replies

"Good!"

Conall comes out from below-decks. "Hey, guys!" he exclaims. "I see it went well?"

"Yup!" Kendyll exclaims.

"Have there been any more deaths?" I ask him.

"Well, after you jumped, there was a fierce battle and 6 cannons went off. We were all OK, thanks to our strategy, and we know that there were know problems with anyone who has a sibling, but other than that, we're clueless. I guess we'll find out tonight."

"Me too."

* * *

><p><span>Crash Hatch POV:<span>

I'm so glad that Smash and I have made up. But, since we did so, there's been something that just seems odd about the whole thing, and I want to discuss it with her during/after the challenge.

We step through our doors into a white-floored, white-walled room. Across from us is a single TV with the seal of the Capitol.

_"Hello, Smash and Crash Hatch,"_ a metallic voice coming from the TV says. As it does so, it begins to show us our challenge area. _"This is your sibling challenge," _it continues. _"Your sibling challenge style is teamwork._

_"First, you will have to make a total of 10 bulls-eyes with spears. Each of you should hit 5 bulls-eyes. Then, one of you must make 10 bulls-eyes with knives, and the other will have to slash 10 dummies with a sword. Next, you will run the 400 meter dash simultaneously. Finally, you will go into a room where you will be shown 10 tributes. Some may be real, while some are made up. Your task is to find their strengths and weaknesses. Once you have correctly identified the weaknesses of all 10 tributes, you will be done with your challenge._

_"You will be in the same corridor for this challenge, but you will each have your own specific door you have to go through after each segment. Neither of you can advance until both of you have completed your individual segments. The exception here is, of course, your fourth challenge room, where you will be working together._

_"Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area, Smash should go through the door on the left, and Crash, the door on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."_

The TV sinks back into the wall and two doors appear. Smash and I step through our doors, finding ourselves in a room with 5 targets on the left side and 5 on the right. I run to the targets on the left, grab a spear, and begin to throw.

"Smash?"

"Yeah, Crash?"

"I was just thinking about earlier, when we made up. Does something strike you as odd about that?"

"Not really. Why?"

"I was just thinking that it's very unusual that we made up so quickly after fighting for so long."

Fwip! Bulls-eye.

"You're right, that is a bit odd. I'm assuming you have a reason for it?"

"Yup I think it's because of our parents."

Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!

"What?! Why?"

"Well, think about it this way: our parents have always put a lot of pressure on us to win, right?"

Fwip! I shoot my final bulls-eye. Smash has one spear left.

"Right... so?"

Fwip! Smash hits her final bulls-eye and we rush through our doors.

"I'll take knives, you take swords," Smash says, rushing to the left to a station with 10 targets and a few knives. I head to the right to an area with 10 dummies and a sword in a rack. "Go on," she motions.

"Well, some people crack under pressure," I continue, as I begin slashing dummies. "I think that our parents' constant screaming at us at a young age influenced our behavior in the future. I mean, where did we get into most of our fights?"

"Training."

"Bingo!"

"So why did we continue fighting once we got reaped?"

"I think it's partly force of habit, but also, once we got our team, I think Isaiah got on both of our nerves a lot."

"Makes sense."

Looking up, I find that I've slashed all 10 dummies, while Smash still has two or three knives to go. She shoots them quickly, though, and we head through the next set of doors.

There's a set of starting blocks for each of us. We take our positions.

"Set..." a voice says.

POW!

And we're off.

Smash seems to be a lot faster than me, as we race. She crosses the finish line, and actually turns around to see me finish. I cross the line and then collapse.

Smash extends her hand to me. "Nice job," she says.

"You too. You're really fast."

We go through our doors to the next room. There's a bench with a red button on a stand in front. Also on the stand is a tablet. Smash and I sit on the bench and I push the button.

_"Kate Nocturna, age 8, District 7,"_ an automatic voice says, as a picture of a little girl is projected onto the screen. She has black hair and one blue eye & one green eye.

"Now, when looking for strengths and weaknesses, you have to look at the whole tribute," I explain to Smash.

"Huh?"

"Look at Kate." On the screen, Kate is walking around a model training gym. Her face is tear-streaked. "What's something that could be a problem for her?"

"She's small..."

"Good! That's more of the big picture. But, we have to look at the little things. See how she has a tear-streaked face?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that tells us that she cries a lot. Which is a major weakness in the Arena. Also, since she's small, she's probably fast and a good tree climber."

"I see! She's also probably good at hiding, because she can fit into tight spaces."

"Right!"

"Also, since she's from 7, she's probably not a good swimmer."

"Good, you're learning quick."

I take the tablet and input "fast, good climber, hiding" in boxes under the word "Strengths" and "cryer, small, swimming" in boxes under the word "Weaknesses".

"According to this, she has one more strength and two more weaknesses," I say.

"Can you just do it?" Smash asks.

I nod. Looking at Kate, she looks like someone who's better at defense than offense. I put "defense" under "Strengths" and "offense" under "Weaknesses". Finally, I put "killing" under "Weaknesses", because most little kids are bad at killing, and hit "Submit".

_"Soralie King, age 7, District 7,"_ the voice says, as Kate leaves the gym and Soralie enters. Soralie has ginger hair and hazel eyes.

"She's bad at close-up combat," Smash says.

"Why do you say that?"

"Her size."

I put that ("close-up combat") under "Weaknesses", where my old inputs have been wiped out, and there are now 3 boxes under "Strengths" and 3 under "Weaknesses".

"Hey, Smash, I think the Gamemakers are actually telling us how many strengths/weaknesses we need!"

"Cool!"

Both of us stare intensely at Soralie. Smash has gears turning in her head, I can just tell from the way she's staring at Soralie.

"Trees!" we exclaim at the same time, causing us to exchange a glance. Twin telepathy?

"Climbing trees is certainly a strength," Smash says. "I mean, she's so small!"

"OK," I reply, and put "climbing trees" under "Strengths".

"She also seems to be good at plants. I mean, she's from 7, where there are a lot of plants."

I put in Smash's idea. It seems good.

"My turn," I say, turning back to Smash.

"All right. Whaddaya got?"

I study the screen. Soralie is actually doing stuff in the training gym; I see her struggling with some knots.

"Knot-tying is one of her weaknesses," I say, inputting it in the appropriate space. "Look at how she can't pull it tight."

"I would never have noticed that!"

"But, look, she's good with traps."

"How's that possible?"

"Well, since she ties a loose knot, the traps can be slightly more effective."

"All right, I'm putting some faith into this," Smash says, as I fill in another strength.

"What about weapons?" asks Smash. Soralie is standing at a knife station, and doesn't seem to be doing so well.

"Weakness," we say at the same time, and I input "knife-throwing" under weaknesses and click "Submit".

"I wonder if Soralie and Kate know each other," murmurs Smash, as the next tribute enters the training gym.

_"Igraine Thistlesnap, age 14, district 10."_

Igraine enters the room. It is immediately clear that she is not a very exciting person. Plain brown hair, plain hazel eyes, etc., etc.

Looking at the tablet, I can see that there is only one box under "Strengths" and none under "Weaknesses".

"I'd say here only strength is hiding," Smash says. "I mean, can you even see her?"

"Nope."

I input "hiding" under "Strengths" and click "Submit."

"Boy, that was easy!" exclaims Smash, as a fourth girl enters the room.

_"Ember Storm Hunters-Mellark, age 14, District 12."_

"Do you think that she's Katniss's daughter?" Smash comments.

"I'd say niece," I reply. "Let's get to work."

Ember is clearly very good at hunting. She uses a bow and arrow incredibly well.

"She's good with a bow and arrow," Smash says, lightly taking the tablet from me. "Also hunting. Look at how she hits every animal right on the money!"

"True. Very good."

I wonder what happens if I press the red button again. Pushing it, I see Ember's family and a bit of background about her come up on the screen.

"It says here that she is devoted to her family and would do anything for them," I read. "That's a weakness if I ever saw one."

On the screen, Ember is now attempting and failing to work with spears. Smash quickly picks up on it, and inputs that under "Weaknesses".

"One last strength," she says. "It probably has something to do with hunting again."

"Knives."

"Huh?"

"Look at her knife work!"

Looking to the screen, we see that Ember is exceptional with knives.

"Perfect," Smash says, imputing it into the appropriate spot.

The next five tributes go by quickly. Smash and I, working together like a well-oiled machine, manage to get through the tributes very quickly with no mistakes. After about 10 minutes, we're onto our final tribute.

_"Coyote Summers, age 17, District 12."_

A tall and muscular youth comes in. He makes a beeline for the spears, and begins to work very well with them.

"Strength," Smash says, and puts it in.

"He's probably not great with any other weapons. Put knives and bow & arrow under weaknesses," I instruct Smash.

"OK!"

What else, what else...

"Look at his camouflage!" exclaims Smash.

"Strength," I reply. "He also seems to be good at snares. Let's see what happens when he sets that snare up."

Coyote has placed a very intricate snare in the middle of a grass field. A small bunny approaches it. Coyote then jumps up to grab the bunny, causing it to run away. It's an amusing sight to watch Coyote chase the bunny.

"Weakness," Smash exclaims, and we are finally able to hit submit.

"Crash, look at this!"

Around 5 of the boxes is a green border, but one, where "knives" is, is red.

"That means we got it wrong."

On screen, Coyote is working with a sword. He is flailing around with it like a madman, and drops it on his toe.

"Got it," Smash says, and replaces "knives" with "sword". We submit again, and the door swings open.

"Nice job," Smash says, giving me a hug. "We did it!"

_"Congratulations, Smash and Crash Hatch,"_ the metallic voice says. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Pleas wait until we calculate your placement."_

_"_I have to say, a day ago, we would have never been able to do that," Smash remarks.

"I know, right? We should probably start to do what we did with Eagle more often."

"Yeah."

The two of us spend a few minutes sitting and talking. We learn a lot about each other. I'm beginning to really appreciate my sister.

After a while, the Gamemaker's hologram appears.

"Hello, Smash and Crash," Amber says. "You have come in 6th place. As a result, you will receive a minor punishment. Each of you has a primary weapon; Smash's being knives and Crash's being a sword. Upon your return to your ship, you will find that those weapons have been removed from the ship, and sponsors will not be able to send them to you for another 24 hours. Now, please exit the room and a peacekeeper will escort you to a new launch pad."

"Could be worse," Smash says. "We each have a secondary weapon."

"Yeah, except we have the same one. Spears."

"We'll figure it out."

The two of us head outside where a Peacekeeper leads us through a set of winding corridors to two launch pads. Each of us steps on one as we head up to the ship.

We come up onto a deserted island. Our ship is docked right next to the island. Smash and I head up the gangway, only to see complete chaos on the ship. Syeira is chasing Isaiah around with a sword and Eagle is trying to break it up. Danica is on the side eating a cracker. Smash and I sit next to her.

"What happened?" Smash asks.

"Well, Eagle tried to do that therapy thing that he did with you with Syeira and Isaiah."

"It didn't work," I bluntly interject.

"Naturally. And you can see what happened."

Eagle sits down next to us.

"I give up! There is no way this will work!"

"I have an idea," I say. "Which team is the most vicious?"

"Gold," replies Smash. "So?"

"Let's intentionally run into them. We'll all hide below-decks and let them attack Isaiah above-decks!"

"Do you think it'll work?" Danica asks.

"We can only hope."

* * *

><p><span>Mica Piprick POV:<span>

I'm getting a bit nervous for this challenge. Dek is pretty helpless, so it seems to me that I'm going to be carrying us through this challenge.

Stepping through our doors, we find ourselves in a relatively small, white-walled, white-floored room. There is only one thing that makes this room not boring, and that's a TV directly across from me. The TV currently shows the Capitol's seal, but as a metallic voice begins to speak, the picture changes to display to us our sibling challenge arena.

_"Hello, Mica Piprick and Dek Farland. This is your sibling challenge, __Your sibling challenge style is teamwork._

_First, you will climb up a large tree. You will then slide down the other side. Afterwards, you will run for 1000 meters, and then complete a 100m dash. Next, you will have to change into bathing suits. This will be included in your challenge time. Finally, you will swim for 200m to the finish line. You will be able to change back into your arena outfits once you complete the challenge._

_"You will be in the same corridor for this challenge, but you will each have your own specific door you have to go through after each segment. __Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area, Mica through the door on the left, and Dek on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."_

Dek and I step through our doors. We see a really big tree. It must be 100 feet high. We'd better get started.

I grab a branch that's up to about my shoulders and pull myself. Then, I pull myself up to the branch, and reach down to Dek, but he's already 10 branches ahead of me.

"Come on, Mica!" he exclaims, and he continues climbing up.

I follow Dek's path as we make our way up the tree. Dek is truly a squirrel, as he manages to finish at least a minute before me. I finally get up to the top. Dek is standing there right next to the top of a slide. Dek and I slide down and through a door, and we find ourselves in a room with 2 sets of starting blocks. Dek and I get into starting positions, and the gun sounds.

We start a bit fast, but then we calm down. The run is sort of a blur, but I know that it takes at least 5 minutes. Finally, we complete the run, and we go through to the next room.

This is already getting quite tiring, and we still have two rooms to go! In the next room, there is another set of starting blocks. We take our places, and the next gun goes off.

I sprint to the finish line, as Dek does the same. Crossing it, we run into the next room to change into swimsuits. Dek and I strip, and I quickly put on a simple one-piece while Dek dons swim trunks. We quickly complete the change, run through the next door, and jump into the water.

Immediately, I can see that this will be a problem. Dek can't swim for his life. The moment he gets into the water, he begins flailing around trying desperately to stay above the water. I swim over to him and grab his arms. Dek climbs onto my back so that I can get him to the other side.

It's sort of difficult, however, to swim when you have a body on your back. I can really only doggy paddle, but it's taking me a lot longer than usual. After 3 minutes, we're only halfway across the pool!

I have to just keep going. The end of the pool is in sight! I keep pushing on and pushing on, until finally, three minutes later, we make it to the end of the pool. I push myself out, grab Dek, pull him out, and we run through the final door.

"We did it!" I exclaim. "Good job, Dek!"

"You too!"

The two of us hug.

_"Congratulations, Mica Piprick and Dek Farland,"_ that metallic voice interrupts. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Your tribute outfits will be arriving momentarily. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

Dek presses the button and says, "A game, please!" A parachute comes down with a little game in it. Dek begins playing contentedly.

Suddenly, Amber, the Gamemaker, appears in the room. I get the sense that she's not actually there, and that it's just a hologram.

"Hello, Mica and Dek," Amber says. "Unfortunately, you have come in 10th, and last, place. As a result, you will receive the largest punishment. Two of you entered this challenge, but just one will exit. It's up to you to decide which one of you will exit."

Oh, no.

One of us is going to die.

"Dek will go," I reply.

"All right. Dek, please exit the room through the door and a man will escort you to a launch pad."

I kiss Dek goodbye, and he leaves.

"Now, Mica, you didn't really think we'd break up your family, do you?"

What's she getting at?

"You will be spending the remainder of the Games out of the arena. Your fate now rests on Dek's shoulders. If he lives, you'll live, but if he dies, you'll die. Please wait a few moments until we tell you that you can leave."

Grat.

My fate now rests on the shoulders of a 6-year-old.

Trinity May Belle POV:

Marianne and I step through our doors and find ourselves in a room with a white floor and white walls. A TV on the opposite wall displays the seal of the Capitol. A metallic voice begins to speak as the picture on the screen changes.

_"Hello, Trinity and Marianne Belle. This is your sibling challenge._

_"Your challenge style is an obstacle course. You will be running the same course, just in separate corridors._

_"Your first obstacle is a 30-meter-long balance beam. Then, you will have to run 100 meters worth of hurdles. Afterwards, you will need to crawl for 50 meters, in an area where raising your head too high will result in a bump. Next, you will need to squeeze between two walls for 30 meters. Fifth, you will weave between poles for 30 meters. Finally, you will climb 150 stairs to the finish. Watch for falling objects while doing so._

_"Each of you will have your own corridor. You will not be able to see each other or have any contact with each other until the end of the challenge. The two times will be averaged to come up with the final time, which will then be related to the target time and the other tributes' times._

_"When you are ready you may step through your doors, Trinity on the left, and Marianne on the right. Each of your clocks will start when you step through your door."_

The TV sinks, for lack of a better word, into the wall, and two doors appear.

Marianne and I look at each other. We've been practically inseparable this whole Games. I hope she comes out OK. We hug, and then we head through our doors.

The first thing I see is a balance beam. It's really thin, maybe 5-7 inches inches wide. And really long.

I'd better start.

I take one tentative step. The beam is only 5 feet above ground, but it would still be bad if I fell.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Step.

I take one step after another. After a while, it gets easier, and, before I know it, I'm done!

I run through the doors to find a set of hurdles. I jump over each hurdle pretty sloppily, but at least I don't knock any over. It takes me while, though, because I'm pretty bad. Finally, I manage to jump all 10 hurdles.

I step through the doors, and find myself in a little area with another door at crawling level. I crawl through it, and find myself in a thin corridor with a very, very low ceiling. Standing up would incur quite a bump. I just have to be careful.

Making my way through the corridor is really hurting my knees. And, unfortunately, next I have the squeeze part, which is going to be pretty annoying.

I accidentally raise my head the slightest bit, causing my head to hit the ceiling. The ceiling lowers just an inch.

Great.

I keep going on and on, and finally make my way to the door at the end.

I then find myself in another little room. The door across the way from me is thinner, but taller. I stand up, shake out my legs, and continue to the squeeze.

The squeeze is somewhat painful. It's very, very tight, maybe a foot and an half across. I have to flatten my whole body against the wall to get through this segment. But, thankfully, I make it through without much trouble.

I step through the next door and find a whole bunch of poles with a path showing how I have to weave between them. I take a deep breath, shake out my arms and legs, and go.

Left, right, left, right. weaveweaveweaveweaveweave. I find myself in a repetitive pattern of weaving first to the left, then to the right, then to the left, then to the right. I'm nearly dizzy, and somehow I turn myself around and weave backwards for a little bit, but get myself righted and quickly finish the course.

Finally, I'm up to the stair climb. My legs are killing me, but I've got to do it. For Marianne, for my family, for me.

I begin to push up the stairs. My breath is getting shorter and shorter. I feel myself slowing down, and it's taking longer and longer to climb each step.

Then the first sandbag drops.

It's just a few inches - not more than a foot - from where I stand. I jump a little to my left, but still narrowly avoid it. Now I have to be more careful.

Another 4 steps pass before another sandbag. This one, however, is a little farther away from me, but I think it's just as a warning. I step one step up and to the right, and a sandbag falls right where I was.

A few steps later, this happens again. One sandbag falls to my right, so I move left, and a sandbag falls where I was.

At least 20 sandbags later, the doors are in sight. I just have to make it up 10 more steps.

But, I'm smart, and I know that there will be an artillery of sandbags on these last 10 steps. I have to be really careful.

Every step I take, at least three more sandbags fall. I lean and jump to try to avoid them. It takes a lot of nimbleness.

The door!

I run up the final step and through the door. Marianne isn't there! Where is she?

"Don't be alarmed, Trinity," Amber's hologram says, suddenly appearing in the room. "Marianne has not finished her course yet. She should be back any moment. If you need anything, just press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Marianne should be back any moment."

Amber disappears.

I sort of limp over to the button, because my calves are hurting so much, press the button, and say, "A few ice packs, please." Within seconds, 4 ice packs drop into the room from the ceiling.

So THAT'S why there no ceiling!

"Also a chair, please," I say, pushing the red button again. I flatten myself against the wall and duck. Thankfully, the chair doesn't drop into the room; rather, a door parallel to where I entered opens and a chair slides in. I sit down and ice my legs.

After about 1.5 minutes, Marianne runs in panting and clutching her left leg. She collapses on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Are you OK?" I exclaim, running to her.

"I think I pulled a muscle during the hurdles," she replies. "That's what took so long, plus I fell off the balance beam."

_"Congratulations, Trinity and Marianne Belle,"_ the metallic voice from earlier interrupts. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

I run to the button and, pushing it, say, "Can we get someone to look at her muscles?" After seconds, a doctor comes in.

"Hello, girls. I'm Dr. Greenberg," he says, shaking my hand. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Marianne thinks that she pulled a muscle during the hurdles."

"Well, let's take a look," he says. We work together to get Marianne onto the chair. He then takes out a stethoscope and begins to give Marianne what I can only call a check-up.

Amber's hologram comes into the room. She seems to be simply observing the check-up. She clears her throat, causing both of us to turn to her.

"Hello, Trinity and Marianne," she says. "I am pleased to announce that you have come in 4rd place. You will, as a result, receive a reward! This doctor's visit is the majority of the reward, but you will also receive a photo album with pictures of your families. Once Dr. Greenberg has finished observing Marianne, you may exit the room, and you will be escorted by Peacekeepers to your new launch pads. Oh, and watch your heads."

I look up to see a parachute slowly coming down. Once the parachute gets to about my eye level, I grab it and take out the contents of the box attached to it.

It's the photo album.

Looking through it, I see a picture of my family when I was born, and one when Cobalt was born. I'm so glad that I'll be able to share these pictures with Marianne.

"Well," the doctor says, "It looks like Marianne has pulled her right hamstring."

"Is that bad?" I ask.

"Well, you're going to need to ice it and keep her off her feet. My advice is to keep her below-decks on a bed, and try to keep her entertained. It could be a while until it heels."

"How are we going to get her to the launch pad?"

"Well, I'll carry her over and she'll just have to stand on her left leg on the pad. When you get to the island, Marianne, and when the launch pad stops, just sit down where you are and stretch your right leg in front of you. Nyx can carry her onto the ship and downstairs to a bed."

"Got it. Thanks so much, Dr. Greenberg."

"Always glad to help. Let me help you get Marianne to the launch pad."

Dr. Greenberg picks up Marianne. I make sure that I have my photo album, and then we head out of the room. A Peacekeeper is there, and he leads us to two launch pads. As I step onto one launch pad, Dr. Greenberg sets Marianne onto the other.

"Now, keep your weight on your left leg," he instructs her. "Use your hands for stability if you need. Good luck, girls."

"Thank you," my cousin and I say, and, as the good doctor steps back, the two launch pads move up.

My cousin and I find ourselves on a deserted island with our ship docked next to it. Marianne collapses again, and I run up to the ship.

"Nyx. Nyx!"

"What?!" Nyx exclaims, as he runs up to the deck from the below-decks area.

"Marianne pulled a hamstring. We need your help to carry her onto the ship and below-decks."

"Got it."

Nyx swiftly sweeps Marianne off her feet and carries her up the gangway, down to the below-decks area, and places her softly on a bed.

"Thank you so much, Nyx," I gush, as we head up to the deck.

"No problem."

"Now, have you seen Mica and Dek yet?"

"Nope."

Nyx and I go to opposite ends of the ship to look for them. Suddenly, I see a figure coming up on the next island over.

"It's Dek!" I exclaim, and Nyx pilots the ship over.

Dek comes onto the ship and runs to me.

"Hey, Dek. Where's Mica?"

"I don't know. She said to go ahead and that she would be back soon."

A parachute lands on the ship's deck. Nyx grabs in, reads the note, and hands it to me. I begin to read it.

_Blue team,_

_Don't worry. Mica is absolutely fine. She is just going to be out of the arena for the rest of the Games due to her and Dek's punishment. She may or may not return.  
><em>

_Amber Emerald, Gamemaker._

Great. We're down a team member.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there we go. The word count of the chapter itself is 9,515 words, which is nearly double the length of the longest chapter I've ever written. Plus the author's notes, the word count is 9,800 even. Pretty impressive, huh?<strong>

**Anyway, I'm so sorry that this chapter took me so long. First off, this is a REALLY long chapter. Second, I got pretty badly affected by Hurricane Sandy. We lost power on Monday for 6 days, and I was only able to write again on Thursday, because we went to our friends' house to stay over because they had power and we didn't. But I've got power back now!**

**Anyway, 2 important dates just passed. On October 30th, it was my 1-year anniversary on the site, and on November 3rd, it was the 1-year anniversary of the publication of the story. I had wanted to get a chapter up for that, but Hurricane Sandy sorta got in the way.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It may be a while until Part 2 gets up, because I have to update Triplets, but I'll get on it. See you soon!**

**-goldie031**


	39. Sibling Challenge, Part 2

**Here's the second part of the sibling challenge! We'll get to see the rest of the challenges, as well as see Holly again. This chapter's word count: . Holy cow. Can't wait for you to read!**

* * *

><p><span>Moss Darya POV:<span>

Toby seems nervous about this challenge. I hope that he can pull himself together, as hyperventilating isn't gonna work at all.

Stepping through our doors made Toby even more nervous. I rub his back, but it doesn't' seem to console him. Maybe this challenge won't be that hard!

The seal of the Capitol, which is currently showing on a screen across from us, dissolves to show us our challenge arena. As that happens, a metallic voice begins to speak.

_"Hello, Moss and Toby Darya. This is your sibling challenge. __Your sibling challenge style is teamwork._

_"First, each of you will complete 10 bulls-eyes with a spear. Then, you must defeat your opponent in hand-to-hand combat. Afterwards, you will have to complete a 400-meter run. Finally, you will change into bathing suits and complete a 200-m swim. Your change will be factored into your time._

__"You will be in the same corridor and rooms for this challenge, but you will each have your own specific door you have to go through after each segment. __Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area, Moss through the door on the left, and Toby on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."__

This doesn't seem so difficult. But I'm sure Toby will have trouble with one part. We'd better get started to get this overwith.

"Ready to go, Toby?"

He cautiously nods.

"One, two, three!"

We go through our doors and find ourselves in a room with 10 targets and 10 spears on each side. One spear is in front of each target. Each of us goes to a side of the room and begins to throw.

I'm not really great with long-range weaponry. As a result, I miss my first 10 tries. Each time I miss, the spear slides down into an invisible chute and another one comes up in its place. I guess that's a good thing.

Finally, finally, I nail the first spear.

The FIRST spear?!

I've still got 9 more to go!

I move on to the second target. It takes me another few tries to get that one. The worst of it is that, I miss one by literally an inch! An inch!

Uch.

I finally get into a rhythm. By the 5th time, it's only taking me two or three tries to hit the bulls-eye!

After maybe 7 minutes, I finally hit the last bulls-eye. I turn around to find Toby tapping his foot.

"I finished 5 minutes ago! What took you so long?"

"I'm not so good at this. Let's see how you do next part."

We go through our next set of doors. There are two boys standing there. One looks a bit older than me, but about my strength. The other is maybe 12, and about Toby's strength. It's evident who's fighting whom. They also look familiar...

"Please approach your competitors," a man in a yellow shirt says. We oblige.

"I am going to be the referee for this fight. Nobody is allowed to mortally wound or kill another person. Your goal is to either back your opponent off of the mat or bring him down to the mat. Once you do so, you will get a point. First to 2 wins. If a non-tribute competitor wins, the challenge will reset. Good luck to you all."

The referee steps back so that he can clearly see both matches.

"Please shake hands."

My opponent and I shake hands, as is etiquette in hand-to-hand.

"Fight!"

I step back into a fighting stance.

The fight actually goes pretty quickly. I manage to grab his wrists and flip him to the ground. The ref blows his whistle.

"Point, Moss."

We go back to our spots. This time, he's going a bit more all-out. He grabs my neck, I disarm, He grabs my leg, I grab his arm again, I manage to get back up. We go on like this for a while, but then he makes his fatal mistake.

The other boy begins to throw a whole bunch of punches at my head. I duck, grab his leg, and pull him down, while putting my other hand under his head to try to prevent him from getting a concussion.

"Point, and Victory, Moss."

The other boy gets back up.

"Nice to see you, Moss!" he says.

"You too, Sebastian!"

We shake hands.

"What brings you here?"

"Well, they needed someone to compete against the two of you. Since my uncle is a Gamemaker, he thought that we could help."

"When did they notify you?"

"About a week ago or so."

"Fun. Do you like it here?'

"Yeah. Poseidon and I trained a little bit for these fights. We were told to not go SUPER easy on you but to not win more than a round. Especially for Toby."

I want to see how he's doing. I turn around only to see a wall.

"They don't want you to see how he's doing. They don't want either of you getting too nervous."

"Aha."

Sebastian and I talk for another few minutes. Finally, the wall drops, and Toby and I run to the next room.

A set of starting blocks are there for each of us. We take our places, and head off.

Running is pretty easy for both Toby and me. We complete the run in about 50 seconds. I think that's a pretty good time!

Running through the next set of doors, we find ourselves in a little room. We change into bathing suits. Toby is literally jumping for joy; swimming was his favorite activity back in 4.

After we've changed, we put our arena outfits into a tube and run through the doors to a pool. It's so easy for us. We swim faster than we've ever done, and when we cross through the last set of doors, we feel a huge sigh of relief.

Our arena outfits are there waiting for us. As we change, the metallic voice from earlier begins to speak.

_"Congratulations, Moss and Toby Darya. __You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

I press the button and ask for a few towels. They come down in a parachute. Toby grabs one really quickly and dries himself off. He doesn't like being wet out of the water.

Odd.

Finally, the hologram of Amber Emerald appears in our room. She begins to speak.

"Hello, Moss and Toby. Unfortunately, you have come in 9th place. As a result, you will receive a punishment. The two of you will have to spend a night alone on a practically deserted island. Some supplies will be provided for you, while you will have to find others. Your team will be alerted to your location tomorrow. Please exit through the doors and a peacekeeper will lead you to your new launch pads."

"Could be worse," Toby says.

"True."

We exit the room and a Peacekeeper leads us to two launch pads. We launch onto an island with a few trees, a lake, and two backpack. Toby opens them

"A tent, two sleeping bags, a few water piles, and water purifier."

"We'd better set up shop, then."

This is going to be a long 24 hours.

* * *

><p><span>Acestes Adrina POV:<span>

Bellona and I step through our doors. That is, we try to. We both end up stepping right into our doors. As we step back, I notice a button on the wall in between our doors, so I press it.

_"Hello, Bellona and Acestes Adrina. This is your sibling challenge. __Your sibling challenge style is separate. Each of you will be competing in your own individual challenge. This is a part of your challenge. Your two times will be averaged out to come up with your final time. Once you are ready, you may step through your doors, Acestes on the left, and Bellona on the right._

"Good luck," she says. "And careful with your heel."

I look at it. "Don't worry; I'll be fine.

We hug, and head through our doors.

In my room there is a single TV with the Capitol's seal on it. The seal dissolves to show me what can only be my challenge arena.

_"Acestes Adrina, here is your challenge. First, you will run a 400m dash. Next, you will have to hit 15 moving dummies with a trident. Afterwards, you will compete in hand-to-hand combat. Finally, you will have to pick out the edible plants. Once you get them all right, you will advance. The clock will start once you step through the doors."_

This is pretty easy, I think. Most of theses things are to my advantage. Except hand-to-hand.

Might as well get on it.

I step through the doors and take my place on the blocks. The gun goes off, and I start to run.

Immediately, I notice that things are different running. My heel hurts to put weight on it. I have to adjust my running style, but thanks to the wonderful bandaging job by Gretchen, it really could be worse.

Unfortunately, I only complete the run in 50 seconds. I've done it in 46 seconds before. UGH!

Next I move into a room with 15 dummies scattered all around it. In the center, a trident is sitting on a rack. I lift it up, and the dummies begin to move around.

Using a trident is truly my favorite thing. I spin it around like a baton, stabbing three dummies in a row. This is very easy. Before I know it, I'm on my next section.

Hand-to-hand is certainly not my strong suit. My opponent seems to be about my age, and is very muscled and maybe a little bit strong. I hope that this isn't a really tough opponent to beat.

"I am going to be the referee for this fight," a man in a yellow shirt says, stepping into the center of the mat. "Nobody is allowed to mortally wound or kill another person. Your goal is to either back your opponent off of the mat or bring him down to the mat. Once you do so, you will get a point. First to 2 wins. If a non-tribute competitor wins, the challenge will reset. Good luck to you both."

He steps back.

"Please shake hands."

We do.

"Fight!"

The guy goes out with a bang. Thankfully, I manage to quickly disarm, and after about 5 seconds, it becomes a literal wrestling match. I manage to take him down, but I just barely manage to get him down before me.

"Point, Acestes."

We get back up and step back.

The second round, my opponent does a lot more martial arts moves. He's throwing kicks and punches at me everywhere I go. I have to duck, jump, duck again, swing to the side...

Finally, I grab his leg. Just slightly pulling it, he comes down.

"Point, and Victory, Acestes."

I shake my opponent's hand and then run trough to the next room.

Finally, I move into the final room. There are about 40 flowerpots, each with a green check mark and a red "x". I'm really good at these, so this should be easy.

I zip through the plants, but when I press the last button, a voice says, "Thirty-nine right, one wrong."

WHAT?!

All of the plants rearrange and reset.

Great. Now I have to do all of them again.

I know a lot of the plants by heart. Some, like nightlock, are very frequent in arenas. In fact, the first day in the arena, we went onto one of those islands and found some. But some, like honeysuckle, are rare in arenas. The last games that had them was the 80th, and before that was the 40th.

Finally, I figured out which plant I messed up on. It was, of all plants, the one that I should know the best.

Katniss tubers.

Oh well.

Finally, I go through the last door, and I see Bellona there pacing. She finally sees me, and practically springs into my arms.

"I was so worried! What TOOK you so long?"

"Well, I did a 400m dash that took me longer than it should have due to my leg. Then I had to do some trident work, followed by hand-to-hand, which was quite difficult. And I missed the katniss tubers when I had to do edible plants at the end. I'm not sure why that happened, though. You?"

"Well, first, I had to climb up a pretty tall tree. Afterwards, I slid down a slide into a room where I had to beat an opponent in hand-to-hand combat. That was more difficult. I had a good amount of trouble with that. Then, I had to hit 10 bulls-eyes with daggers, which wasn't so difficult. Finally, I had to a to do a 200m swim, which was as easy as anything. Unfortunately, the time it took me to change into my bathing suit was factored into my time, so it took me a bit longer than I would've liked. But, that's OK."

"Did they give you back your tribute outfit?"

"They're supposed to, but I think that, since I completed the swim faster than expected, it hasn't arrived yet. And here it is now," she says, as a parachute comes down with a cylinder in it. She takes out her arena outfit.

_"Congratulations, Bellona and Acestes Adrina, "_ that metallic voice from earlier says. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement." _

I look at Bellona. "Don't look at me!" she says, as she goes to change. I turn away.

Suddenly, I here a voice. "Hello, Bellona and Acestes," it says. I turn around to see the hologram of Amber Emerald, Head Gamemaker. She continues, "I am pleased to announce that you have come in second place. You will, as a result, receive a reward! You will be able to spend one night outside of the arena. Please wait for a moment until you hear me tell you to come out of your room."

"AUGH!" Bellona exclaims.

"What?"

"We came in second."

"So?"

"We didn't come in first."

"Deal with it. It shouldn't be so bad. I mean, we'll have a night to rest and rejuvenate, which is a good thing, in relation to my heel."

"OK, I guess. But someone's gonna pay!"

"Wait until we get back into the Arena."

* * *

><p><span>Lila Flemings POV:<span>

I'm a little bit nervous for this challenge. Xander is very weak, and I don't know how that'll affect us.

As we step through our doors, Xander is amazed at the fact that they open without pushing them. I can see that he wants to go back through them, so I grab his arm and turn him to face the screen, which currently shows the seal of the Capitol. It suddenly fades out to show us our challenge arena as a metallic voice begins to speak.

_"Hello, Lila Flemings and Xander Briant. This is your sibling challenge. __Your sibling challenge style is teamwork._

_"First, Xander will have to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a slingshot while Lila attempts to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a knife. Whoever finishes first may help the other one finish. Then, you will climb up a large tree, and slide down the other side of the tree to the next room, in which you must work together to lasso 10 cows. Finally, you will have to tie 5 good, accurate knots with a rope.  
><em>

__"You will be in the same corridor and rooms for this challenge, but you will each have your own specific door you have to go through after each segment. __Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area, Lila through the door on the left, and Xander on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."__

"What does that mean?" asks Xander.

I pick Xander up and place him in front of his door. "On three, step through the door," I instruct, as I get into position in front of my own door. "One, two, three!"

As we step through our doors, I quickly scan the room. On my right is Xander's station, which consists of one slingshot, 10 targets, and 10 rocks. The targets are about 5 feet back from where the box where the rocks are held. Each is about 10 feet in diameter, with an inner circle 3-5 feet in diameter. The outside is black, while the inside is yellow.

"OK, Xander," I instruct, "what you're going to do is take a rock and put it in the slingshot like this, pull back and shoot. Your goal should be to hit the yellow." He takes the slingshot and the rock from my hand, and tries. It turns out he's pretty good at it; he hits the center of the target. Confident in his ability, I turn to my station.

Like Xander's station, there are 10 targets, but mine are a bit smaller, maybe 8 feet with a 2 feet center, and are classic red-and-white striped. A box with 10 knives sits in front of the first target. I have a really good feeling with this, as knives are my weapon of choice. Taking a knife, I flick it toward the target, and hit it smack in the center.

The box of knives moves with me as I move down the line. In just 5 minutes, I manage to shoot six knives and hit six bulls-eyes. But when I shoot the 7th knife, I can feel that something isn't right. My hunch is right, as the knife bounces off of the outer edge of the target. It falls down an invisible chute, and another knife appears.

It's only natural to mess up one or two knives. It reminds me that I'm only human, and that I'm nowhere near perfect. It also makes me really annoyed, to the point where I manage to then hit multiple bulls-eyes in a row.

Looking back at Xander, I see that he's only on his 5th rock. I go over to him and guide his hands so that he can shoot the last 5. It takes a little while, but we finally hit the last 5 bulls-eyes.

We run through our doors to find ourselves at the base of a large tree. Xander and I both smile when we see it, because it looks just like the trees we have back home in 7. This tree, however, has clear signs of being manufactured, as it's very, very structured.

Xander and I begin to fly through the branches of the tree. I feel like a bird as I fly, so free, so alive. Not even the Capitol can cage me right now. I am almost heartbroken when I reach the top of the tree. Xander is already there. We find two slides at the top, so I slide down the left one and Xander slides down the right one.

We actually slide through a set of doors to reach our next room. It's a relatively large, grassy room with a fenced-in area. 10 cows roam all over, and there is a lasso sitting at our feet. Xander, seeing something that he's good at, grabs the lasso and quickly ropes a cow.

"Wow, Xander, I never knew you could do that!"

"Yeah, but now you gotta pull!"

We pull really hard on the rope. The cow comes in, and we guide it to the pen.

"If we only had a horse..."

"What, Xander?"

"Nothing."

We continue to lasso cows, developing a great system - Xander gets the loop around the cow's neck, and then we work together to pull. Finally, we get all 10 cows in.

Just as the 10th cow crosses the threshold of the pen, a very well-concealed door appears. We rush through to find 5 pedestals. On each one is the name of a knot as well as a picture of how to tie the knot.

First up is the square knot. It seems pretty easy to tie. We work together to tie the knot: right over left and pull, left over right and pull. The pedestal glows green, signaling that we got it right, and we move on to the next pedestal.

This one holds the granny knot, which is very similar to the square knot: right over left and pull, right over left and pull. The pedestal yet again glows green.

Next we move to pedestal 3, which has the bowline knot on it. It's a lot more complicated. The two of us are using all four of our hands. First you have to make a loop. Then, you have to pull the end of the rope through the loop, loop the end under the straight part and back over it, pull the end back through the loop, and pull.

"That wasn't so bad!" exclaims Xander. "We only have two more to go!"

We approach pedestal 4. This one has a rope to tie a sheep knot. Telling you how we actually tied the sheep knot would cause you to be quite confused, but let's just say that the pedestal lit up green after 5 tries.

Finally, we have to tie the Carrick knot. This one takes us 10 tries, but we finally do it. As the final pedestal lights up green, the last set of doors opens. We race through the doors tot he final room, much like the one which we started in.

"Great job, Xander!" I exclaim, giving him a hug. "We did it!"

"Yeah," he says.

_"Congratulations, Lila Flemings and Xander Briant,"_ the same metallic voice from earlier says. _"You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

I press the button and ask for a little game for Xander. A bunch of blocks come in via parachute. Xander contentedly begins playing with them. I always enjoy watching him play with blocks.

Suddenly, a hologram of Amber, the Gamemaker, appears in the room. I motion to Xander to stand up, and he obliges.

"Greetings, Lila and Xander. I am pleased to announce that you have come in 5th place. As a result, you will receive neither a reward nor a punishment. You will go back to your ship as if nothing has happened. This is very good placement for the two of you, as you are the set of siblings with the youngest average age of all of the sets of siblings involved in this challenge. Please exit the room and a Peacekeeper will guide you to your new launch pads."

"Nice job," I tell Xander as we exit the room. "5th place is pretty good."

"Yay!" Suddenly, he looks deep in thought. "How did she know our names?"

"She knows everyone's names."

"Lambell's?"

"Yup."

"Maybell?"

"Yup."

A Peacekeeper leads us to two launch pads. Each of us stands on one, and we are lifted up into the arena.

Our familiar pink ship is already there, with Lambell, Maybell, and Rye-Ann sitting and talking. Xander and I head up the gangway, and Lambell exclaims, "Lila and Xander are back!"

"Hiya," Xander says, as he gives Lambell a little hug. The two go back to chatting like they'd done before the challenge.

"Have you heard from Moss and Toby?" I ask Maybell.

"Well, a few minutes ago, we got this note. I wouldn't advise sharing it with the little ones."

"Got it."

I read the note. It reads:

Pink team,

Due to Moss and Toby's punishment, they have to spend a night alone on a deserted island. You will be given their location to pick them up tomorrow.

Amber Emerald, Gamemaker.

"Well, we're just going to have to wait."

"And stay out of trouble," Rye-Ann points out.

"And wait."

* * *

><p><span>Fallen Dean POV:<span>

Leia is still clutching onto my leg. Once all of the other tributes step through, though, she lets go.

"Let's do this!" she exclaims.

"Do you only do that in public?"

"Yeah. I hate being with lotsa people!"

Oh gosh.

We go into the room. Across from us is a television with the seal of the Capitol. As a metallic voice begins to speak, the seal dissolves to show us what must be our challenge arena.

_"Hello, Fallen and Leia Dean. This is your sibling challenge. __Your challenge style is an obstacle course. You will be running the same course, just in separate corridors._

_"__First, you will weave between poles for 30 meters__. __Next, you will need to squeeze between two walls for 30 meters. __Afterwards, you will need to crawl for 50 meters, in an area where raising your head too high will result in a bump. __Then, you will have to run 100 meters worth of hurdles.__Your fifth obstacle is a 30-meter-long balance beam__. Finally, you will climb 150 stairs to the finish. Watch for falling objects while doing so._

_"Each of you will have your own corridor. You will not be able to see each other or have any contact with each other until the end of the challenge. The two times will be averaged to come up with the final time, which will then be related to the target time and the other tributes' times._

_"When you are ready you may step through your doors, Moss on the left, and Toby __on the right. Each of your clocks will start when you step through your door."_

Oh no.

As the TV sinks into the wall and the two doors appear, I sense danger. Leia isn't really good at being away from me for too long.

"Will you be OK, Leia?"

"Yup!"

"All right, you go first. I'll follow you."

Leia heads through the door. She is an odd little girl.

I give her a five-second head start, and then head through my door.

First, I find a whole bunch of poles very well spaced out. It gets very repetitive after a time. I find myself getting a little - okay, a lot dizzy. It's annoying to turn so quickly so tightly.

Once I get through the poles, I go through another door where the width between the walls on either side of me get closer and closer, until there can't be more than a meter between the two walls. I have to edge down the wall like a spy. It's a little annoying, but it's also sort of fun! I finally make it through, as the walls widen, but then I can see that the door is only tall enough for me to crawl through in.

Oh boy.

I get down on my hands and knees and crawl through the door. After I get about 15 meters through, I arch my back a bit to try to stretch it out. When I do, I hit my head on the ceiling, and it comes down about an inch.

Uh-oh.

I manage to get through, but now I have to quickly shake out my legs before I run the hurdles. After shaking them out, I begin to run the hurdles.

The hurdles are a pain. I have to have one leg bent behind me and the other straight in front of me. I hate it.

Thankfully, they go pretty quick, and I move on to the beam. In 6, there are about 8 gymnasts who train for a Panem-wide competition. Leia always wanted to be one of those gymnasts. We never could really do it, though, because it costs money. We always watch them, though, and Leia loves watching the beam and trying it on the curbs. So, she should have no problem with this. For me, the width of my foot is wider than that of the beam, so it's a bit tougher. I have to go very, very slowly, but I get through it.

The last section is the stairs. My legs hurt. I really don't want to do this, but I think it'll be OK.

I go through about 10 steps, and then a sandbag falls pretty near to where I am. OK.

I move up a few more steps, but then another sandbag falls about 2 inches from me.

Oh, god.

I keep my eyes looking up. I can see a slot open right above, so I move over. The sandbag falls where I was.

Now it's just a matter of ingenuity. I notice that a sandbag falls a ways away from me before it hits me. That tells me to move the other way. I manage to dodge sandbags like this till the finish.

Just as I come through the door, Leia does as well. I give her a high-five.

"Good job, little sis!" I exclaim.

She looks at me and throw her arms around my waist. "We did it."

Suddenly, that metallic voice begins to speak again. _"Congratulations, Fallen and Leia Dean. __You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

"Do your legs hurt?"

"A bit."

"Here."

I press the button, and say, "Can we get a few ice packs, please?" A parachute comes down with about 8 ice packs in it. I start a few off and give one to Leia and keep one for myself. We sit there, on the floor, icing our legs, in near silence, until the hologram of Amber Emerald appears. We stand up; Amber begins to speak.

"Greetings, Fallen and Leia. Unfortunately, you have come in 8th place. As a result, you will receive a punishment. The two of you will be both go back into the arena, but you will be launched into the arena separately. Leia, would you please exit the room through the door in front of you, and a Peacekeeper will lead you to your launch pad. I will notify you, Fallen, when it is your time to exit."

I give Leia a hug. "You'll be fine. Look for our ship and Rowena and Viktor. OK?"

She nods, her face tear-stricken.

"You'll see me again! Go for it."

Leia exits.

I pace a little bit. I hope Leia's OK!

"OK, Fallen, you can exit now. A Peacekeeper will lead you to your launch pad."

I exit the room and a Peackeeper is there. He leads me to a launch pad, and I launch up into the arena.

About 3 islands down from the small one where I currently am is a ship with green sails.

"Viktor! Rowena!" I call. They turn their ship to me. The ship comes closer. I see them lowering the gangway, and I run up it.

"Where's Leia?" Rowena asks.

"Our punishment was that we would be separated. She launched before me; I have no idea where she is."

"Let's go looking," Viktor says. He grabs the wheel and begins to steer.

After about 45 minutes, we come upon another island. There's Leia! She sees the ship and jumps up and down. We lower the gangway, and she bounds onto the ship.

"Fallen!" my baby sister exclaims as she throws her arms around my waist again.

"Good to see you again, Leia."

I love my little sister.

* * *

><p><span>Astrid Evans POV:<span>

While Lucy is very nervous about the challenge, I'm not so nervous. How much can we lose if we don't win? Our lives have been on the line since Reaping Day.

Stepping through our doors leads us to find a television set on the wall across from us. As the seal of the Capitol disappears on the television set in front of us, what must be our challenge arena can now be seen. A metallic voice begins to speak.

_"Hello, Astrid and Lucy Evans. This is your sibling challenge. __Your sibling challenge style is teamwork._

_"First, Lucy will have to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a slingshot while Astrid attempts to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a bow and arrow. Whoever finishes first may help the other one finish. Then, you will run for 400 meters. After that, you will each do a small individual section, consisting of 10 hurdles, followed by a tunnel which you will have to crawl through, and concluded with a walk on a balance beam. Finally, you will have to work together to climb up a rock wall._

__"You will be in the same corridor and rooms for this challenge, but you will each have your own specific door you have to go through after each segment. __Once you are ready, you may enter your challenge area, Astrid through the door on the left, and Lucy on the right. The clock will start once you step through the doors."__

Lucy seems a bit more confident. "Ready?" she asks me.

"Ready."

The two of us step through our doors. On the side closest to us, so my left and Lucy's right, is our individual section for this challenge. I find one bow and a quiver of 10 arrows, attached to a bar, that currently sits in front of the target closest to me.. I grab an arrow, pull it back, and shoot.

Bulls-eye.

As I move to the right, the quiver moves along with me. I grab an arrow, and shoot.

Perfect.

The next five targets go so easily. In just about 30 seconds, there are just 3 left.

This is just going too well.

I miss the next target.

I knew it.

The arrow sinks down an invisible chute and another appears in the quiver. I take that arrow specifically and shoot.

Got it!

Two more to go. I quickly shoot them and hit two bulls-eyes.

Turning around, I find that Lucy has just one target to go. She hits a bulls-eye on it, and we run through the next set of doors.

This is basic running. I take my place on the starting blocks, as does Lucy. A gun sounds, and we're off.

400m is not a large run. I've run about 1000m from my house to Lucy's. This is easy! We get through it in about 48 seconds.

Next, we have our individual section. I go straight to the hurdles and start to jump. I'm having a bit of trouble, though, because the hurdles are pretty tall relative to my height.

Next, I go through one of those little tunnels like in the playgrounds in 5. It's a lot of fun, and brings me back to my little-kid-hood. The color of the tube is a bright yellow, which is sort of weird in this pressurized setting.

Finally, I have the balance beam. It's pretty easy, as it's just a matter of balance.

Not a wobble.

I run through the door to see two men with harnesses. Lucy isn't there yet. I step into the harness designated for me as the man tightens it.

Lucy runs in - even though I can't quite see her, I can hear her high-pitched voice.

Suddenly, I can feel the man pull on my harness. I look back at him.

"So, you're all set. When we're ready, I'll say, 'On belay?' You'll reply, 'Belay on.' I'll say, 'Climbing?' and you'll say 'Climb away!' Got it?"

I nod.

"Jarien, you ready?"

The other man nods. My guy hooks me up to a rope using a carabiner clip. He says, "On belay?"

"Belay on."

"Climbing?"

"Climb away!"

I put my hands and feet on the wall, as does Lucy. It's important that we communicate here. Otherwise, neither of us is going to get up that wall!

"Lucy, get your right leg onto that red rock! It's a bit of a stretch, but I think you can do it."

Lucy has to pull herself up with both hands, but she manages to get up.

I grab a green rock and pull myself up. I then go blue, blue, red, yellow, orange, black, purple. Easy.

Lucy is about two feet below me. I crane my neck and find her struggling to get up to a blue rock.

"Lucy, don't do that. Go to that purple rock. You can get to the blue one more easily from there. Now go to the blue one, then the green one... great."

After a bit of trouble, Lucy is now at my level.

"Go under me and do what I do, OK?"

I begin to climb the wall, and Lucy follows. After just a few more minutes, we've hit the top.

Two more men are there to help us out of the harnesses. After we're out, we slide down a slide, and end up in a room much like where we started.

"Nice job," I tell Lucy, and we embrace.

_"Congratulations, Fallen and Leia Dean,"_ The metallic voice from earlier says._ "__You have completed your challenge. If you need anything, please press the red button on the wall to your left and say what you need, and it will come to you. Please wait until we calculate your placement."_

"Now, remember, Lucy, whatever happens, we tried our best. It'll be OK."

"I know, but I'm still a bit nervous."

"We'll be fine."

It takes a little while until Amber Emerald's hologram appears in the room.

"Greetings, Astrid and Lucy. I'm pleased to announce that you have come in 1st place. As a result, you will receive the largest reward! The two of you will not return to the Arena at all. You have won freedom, though you will not necessarily be Victors. Please wait until we notify you so that we can lead you to where you will stay for the remainder of the Games."

Lucy looks at me, her eyes sparkling. "We did it!" she exclaims, and throws her arms around me.

Something doesn't seem right here, but I can't put my finger on it.

It's a good 10 minutes before Amber's voice says, "Tributes, if you would please exit your rooms and walk to the left."

We oblige, and, walking to our left, we see the Adrina twins. Mica catches up to us on our right.

"What are you guys doing here?" Mica asks me.

"We won immunity from the Arena. We're out for the rest of the Games."

"Lucky!" Acestes exclaims. "We just won one night out of the Arena. We came in second, which made Bellona here mad."

Bellona's pouting.

"Mica, why are you here?" asks Lucy.

"Well, Dek and I came in 10th. Amber told us that two people had come in and one would go out, so I thought that meant that one of us would die. I sent Dek back into the Arena. Then, Amber said that she would never split apart siblings. My fate now rests on the shoulders of a six-year-old."

"Ooh, tough luck."

"Yup."

Amber's hologram appears suddenly.

"If you'll follow me," she says. We do.

Amber's hologram leads us through a maze of twisting tunnels. We then come upon a little cart.

"This will take you the rest of the way," Amber says, and disappears.

There are three rows with two seats in each. Bellona and Acestes take the back, Lucy and I are in the middle, and Mica sits in the front. As soon as we all buckle the available seat-belts, the walls of the cart come up as it starts to move.

This is probably the fastest thing I've ever ridden on. It's going at such a speed. Lucy looks really scared, so I rub her back, and she calms down a little bit.

Finally, the cart stops. All of us are breathing heavily. I hope I never have to do that again.

Ruby Emerald is standing there waiting. We all carefully get out of the cart, and stand before her.

"Behind this door is where you all will be staying for however long you do. Have fun!"

I step through the door to find that little girl from 8 playing with another little girl. Lucy apparently recognizes her.

"Hi, Holly!"

"Lucy, do you wanna play with me and Elodie?"

"Sure!"

The three girls begin to play.

Looking around, I see a door to my left and right, as well as one across from me. There are three beds where we are now. I open the door across from me to find three more beds. All six are canopy beds.

"I think Lucy, Holly, and I are supposed to stay here and you guys are supposed to be there. OK?"

"OK," Acestes says, and motions for Bellona to follow him.

Mica looks at me. "Do I have to stay with them?"

"It'll probably only be for a night."

"Oh, all right."

She follows the twins into the other room.

"I'm so glad we're safe, Lucy."

"Me too."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there's the chapter! I'm SO sorry this took so long; I've started to run, school's been crazy thanks to Sandy, etc., etc. On the bright side, I think this is pretty good! <strong>

**After this, we'll finish up day three, and then we'll be able to see a Gamemaker's meeting as soon as I can find my notebook with all my notes on the Gamemakers. **

**Oh! In a few weeks, I'll have a new SYOT up, so keep your eyes out!**

**See you soon!**

**-goldie031**


	40. Day 3, Part 4: The Only One Left

**OK, so, as you saw, this chapter is labeled Day Three, Part 4. This is because the two sibling challenge chapters were technically parts two and three of Day 3. Anyway, here you will find out who the deaths were in Day Three, Part 1, we'll see a few more deaths, and then have a mini-recap; there will be a larger recap a little later on. You'll also get a slightly better sense of what happened on the first day. **

**This chapter will focus on white, silver, black, orange, and purple, in order. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>White team had finally escaped the circle with the other teams. They had only lost two members - Fae and Kole. Cyei had gone below-decks to nap; killing Deanna had felt really good. He was ready for another attack.<p>

Meanwhile, Amber, Acacia, and Danny were above-decks. They were all more subdued - Amber had lost Fae, a great friend, and Acacia had killed Andala. They were also figuring out what to about Cyei.

"I'm starting to see through Cyei," said Amber.

"What do you mean?" asked Acacia.

"Can't you see that Cyei has a malicious glint in his eyes? I saw him kill Danica from Three. And he put a smiley face sticker on her forehead."

"Like what happened with Poise."

Everything was makings sense in Danny's mind.

Suddenly, a parachute came down. It landed directly in front of the steering wheel. Amber opened it.

"Bulletproof vests!"

"Perfect. We should wear these under our clothes at all times. Amber, come with me to change. Danny, stay up here."

Danny nodded. As the girls went down, he took off his glasses and put them on the floor so that his shirt wouldn't get stuck on them. He took off his jacket and placed it on top of his glasses, and then took off his shirt. He unbuckled the vest and buckled it back on. He then tried to put his shirt back on, but it got stuck. Danny began wandering around blindly, trying to somehow find a way to get the shirt on.

CRUNCH!

Danny got his shirt back on and looked down. There, in a million little pieces, were his glasses.

"S***."

* * *

><p>Silver was down to three.<p>

Sadie had been killed by Goldstar, but Shine had gotten Riley and Fae. And it looked like the more Shine killed, the more she wanted more blood. Her green eyes were malicious, and her smirk made her look even more so. Shine was currently pacing the ship.

"I don't trust her," said Apollo to Cassie, eyeing Shine. "Shine is making me really nervous."

"Come on," Cassie replied, and they ran below-decks. They could hear Shine come down, get something, and go back up.

"This is not good."

Back above-decks, Shine saw yellow sails in the distance. She took the rope that she had found below-decks, made it into a loop, and grabbed Len. She pulled him onto her ship and ducked down.

"What's up, little guy?" she teased.

Len cowered.

Shine stabbed Len in both legs, arms, and the heart, and threw him into the sea.

BOOM!

"Bye-bye."

* * *

><p>Black team had lost just one member, Andala Chayne. Now, the remaining members - none of which preferred to be with others - were below-decks, desperately trying to come up with something - anything - to serve as a strategy.<p>

"If attacked, the Careers should serve as defense," wrote Asa.

Mars nodded. "Belle and I are both good with knives. What about you, Cassandra?"

"I wasn't Career trained."

"Oh. Nellie, what can you do?"

"I can't really use any weapon."

"Asa?" asked Belle.

"I can sort of use a knife, because I cut a lot of fruit, but I'm also good with trickery," Asa wrote.

"OK," concluded Mars. "So if attacked, me and Belle will defend with Asa and Nellie and Cassandra will run down here. Now, let's go back above-decks and see what's happening."

What they didn't know was that they were headed right into a battlefield.

Unbeknownst to black, the red, gold, and orange ships had all spotted each other, and had been throwing weapons back and forth across the ships. Nellie bravely went up above-decks first, but got impaled by Thad's knife, aimed for Isaiah.

BOOM!

Mars motioned Belle and Asa back to get weapons, but he wasn't fast enough to warn Cassandra. Danica shot her own knife into her was a goner.

BOOM!

Belle, Mars, and Asa ransacked their weapons cabinet downstairs, but, unfortunately, found only five knives. Belle and Mars went back above-decks, and while Mars used the five knives, Belle army-crawled over to the pack of knives that they had left above-decks in case of an emergency. She grabbed one, looked toward Isaiah, and shot the knife.

BOOM!

Mars looked at Danica. They locked eyes. Mars conveyed an apology to her, and shot a knife.

BOOM!

BOOM! went another cannon as Crash nailed Gretchen in the eye and she fell off over the edge of the ship.

* * *

><p>Orange team was a bit frenzied. After Thad had nailed Nellie, the rest of the team had begun to dart around the ship. Auden was behind the mast, Barley, below-decks, and the other three were crouched down under the edge of the ship.<p>

"My leg is tingling," said Wreck.

"There are three very strong teams out there," replied Thad. "You **will** get impaled by someone or another."

"What do I do?"

Whisper bent down next to Thad and massaged his neck. "You'll be OK," she said. "I'm sorry that my brother killed yours."

"Apology accepted. I know you couldn't control your brother."

Wreck arched his back. His head went just a bit off, when a knife hit his nose. Blood gushed out, and he jumped up to try to get first aid supplies.

"NO!" yelled Whisper. Wreck got hit twice more with knives.

BOOM!

Orange stayed in their positions until the deafening silence could be heard. Auden peeked out from behind the mast.

"All clear!"

Whisper and Thad stood up and shook out their legs. They looked at each other.

"Down to four," summarized Thad.

"Great," concluded Whisper, as a hovercraft came to take Wreck's body. "Now we're down to four."

"Well, we're a strong four. Three Careers. And me."

"Good point, Barley," interjected Auden. "but (a) don't count yourself out, and (b) we can't afford to lose another person. Losing anyone would really set us back."

"But here's the thing," Thad mused. "We have four. Purple has two, and blue has seven. The Gamemakers are going to have to even it out at some point. I just don't know how or when they'll do it!"

"We'll just have to keep our guard up," concluded Whisper. "Come on. Let's head below-decks."

* * *

><p>Tyranny was at the wheel of her own ship. She could see white team's sails in the distance, but she wanted to steer clear of them due to the strength of their team and the numbers of hers. She didn't want to hurt Ivy; oddly enough to Tyranny, Ivy had been come like a sister. Tyranny felt obligated to look after her.<p>

"Hey, Tyranny!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wanna see how the other teams are doing?"

"Sure."

Tyranny let go of the wheel and looked back at Ivy. Ivy grabbed the black box from beneath the wheel, and the two headed downstairs.

Ivy pressed the screen. "I've been looking at this for a while. I know how to work this." The screen lit up with three buttons - Teams, District, and Age. Ivy pressed Teams. Twelve buttons, one for each team, popped up. Ivy pressed the red one.

**Red Team**

**Alive: Smash and Crash Hatch, District 2; Syeira Lavia, District 5; Eagle Sterling, District 7.**

**Dead: Isaiah Barnabas, Greick Sheedor, District 1; Sira Kawerky, District 3, Danica Redmond, District 7.**

**Team Kills: 5 (Smash: 1, Greick: 1, Crash: 2, Danica: 1).**

"It basically summarizes all of the details of the various teams," explained Ivy. "We can also look at the different tributes, districts, and ages."

"Cool."

"Do you think they're a threat?"

"In a way. I mean, they've got a pretty good division of kills. Let's go on."

Ivy pressed the Next button.

**Orange Team**

**Alive: Auden Walters, District 1, Thad Wellington, Whisper Willow, District 2, Barley Harrison, District 9.**

**Dead: Deanna Campbell, Wreck Swider, District 3, Wesley Goode, District 6, Alava Devlin, District 12.**

**Team Kills: 4 (Thad: 2, Whisper: 2).**

"Somewhat of a threat, but they're not completely strong. Keep going."

"Next!"

**Yellow Team**

**Alive: Candella Anders, District 3, Marynna Breck, District 4, Jamie Wretherly, District 8, Quiinn Jones, District 11.**

**Alive, Safe from Games: Astrid and Lucy Evans, District 5.**

**Dead: Len Supin, District 5, Neil Xaroff, District 12.**

**Team Kills: 0.**

"No threat there."

"But look at that. Astrid and Lucy are out of the Arena."

"Maybe they won the sibling challenge, and that was their prize. Next!"

**Green Team**

**Alive: Fallen and Leia Dean, District 6, Viktor and Rowena Wayland, District 10.**

**Dead: Tinny Mince, District 9, Brandi Hahn, Robin and Song Pine, District 12.**

**Team Kills: 1 (Viktor).**

"Nope."

"But Viktor is strong!" Ivy pointed out.

"But still. Keep on going."

**Blue Team**

**Alive: Nyx Heyton, District 1, Darren Catalyst, District 3, Trinity May Belle, District 8, Sen Arylian, District 9, Mica Piprick, Dek Farland, District 10, Marianne Belle, District 11.**

**Dead: Akizah Whisper, District 11.**

**Team Kills: 0.**

"There are a lot of them. But they're not so strong."

"True. I mean, SEVEN tributes have no kills between them."

"Keep going, Ivy.**"**

**Purple Team**

**Alive: Tyranny Bomber, District 1, Ivy Ember, District 11.**

**Dead: Barlen Wickeher, District 2, Arabella Rae, District 3, Shirly Tranner District 6, Jaren Combler, District 8, Farley Pastle, District 10, Bolden Tain, District 12.**

**Other: Oakline Sint, District 7. *Oakline would have been on the purple team had her untimely death not occurred."**

**Team Kills: 1 (Tyranny Bomber).**

"No threat," Tyranny laughed.

"You got a kill?"

"Yeah, Ivy. I got Kole."

"Oh."

"Next!"

**Black Team**

**Alive: Mars Pyrros, District 1, Belle Adore, District 2, Janael Smythe, District 6.**

**Dead: Cassandra Tyme, District 4, Haemon Nightshade, Andala Chayne, District 5, Ty Leowne, District 6, Asa Benedict, District 11.**

**Team Kills: 4 (Belle: 2, Mars: 2).**

"Same as orange team. You see, they have a lot of kills, but the kills aren't spread out. We distinguish threats as anyone with three or more kills. Which obviously hasn't happened yet."

"I think gold team has, like, 8 kills."

"All right. Let's continue on."

**Pink Team**

**Alive: Rye-Ann Brooke, Moss and Toby Darya, District 4, Lila Flemings, Xander Briant, District 7, ****Maybell Flince, District 9 ****Lambell Rose, District 10.**

**Dead: Micajah Newton, District 6.**

**Team Kills: 2 (Rye-Ann: 1, Moss: 1)**

"This is an interesting team," Tyranny said.

"Yeah. Shall we continue?"

"Who says shall?"

"All right."

**White Team**

**Alive: Acacia Andalu, District 2, Danny Robin, District 3, Cyei All, District 5, Amber Elmore, District 7 (replacement for Oakline).**

**Dead: Kole Devon, District 4, Poise Caesurea, District 9, Zach Ryans, District 10, Fae Springer, District 11.**

**Team Kills: 4 (Cyei: 2, Acacia: 2)**

**"**Now, Acacia, I would expect to have two kills, but not Cyei. He's so innocent!"

"Yeah."

"Keep going!"

**Brown Team**

**Alive: Alex, Lisa, and Kendyll Brown, District 8, Conall Carteiar, District 9, Alain Fennor, District 10, Mason Samuel Kent, District 12.**

**Alive, Safe from Games: Holly Brown, District 8.**

**Dead: Aileen Mellows, District 11.**

**Team Kills: 0.**

"No big deal, but I think they still have motivation."

"Why do you say that, Ivy?"

"Well, think about it. The three siblings have motivation; they want to see their little sister again. And they seem like caring people."

"Aha."

"Let's move on."

**Gold Team**

**Alive: Goldstar MacQueen, District 1, Bellona and Acestes Adrina, District 4, Cain Mohen, District 5.**

**Dead: Riley Tour, District 6, Colin Villanueva, District 7, Gretchen Winchester, Donnie MacDardo, District 8.**

**Team Kills: 12 (Bellona: 4, Acestes: 3, Goldstar: 5)**

"Now that's what we call a threat. Three strong Careers, all with three or more kills."

"What's really scary is that none of them are of Reaping Age yet. Imagine what they would be like at age 18..."

"One more team to go."

**Silver Team**

**Alive: Apollo Mariner, District 3, Shine Scott, District 7, Cassiopea Erin Winters, District 9.**

**Dead: Sparkle DeFontaine, District 1, Emmet Westercamp, District 2, Creig Donovan, District 7, Hallin Crow, District 11, Sadie Wood, District 12.**

**Team Kills: 7 (Sparkle: 1, Shine: 6)**

"Now, Shine is a major threat. She was a Career trained in One, but moved to Seven, where she became much stronger. Shine is probably the biggest threat other than Gold team. I actually knew her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's a year older than me. We were training partners from ages 9 to 12."

"Interesting."

Suddenly, the anthem began to play. Ivy moved to go upstairs, but the black box glowed before she could even stand up. Both she and Tyranny looked over at the box, as it showed that day's 13 deaths.

**Isaiah Barnabas, District 1**

**Deanna Campbell, District 3**

**Wreck Swider, District 3**

**Cassandra Tyme, District 4**

**Kole Devon, District 4**

**Andala Chayne, District 5**

**Len Supin, District 5**

**Janael Smythe, District 6**

**Riley Tour, District 6**

**Danica Redmond, District 7**

**Fae Springer, District 11**

**Sadie Wood, District 12**

"All right," said Ivy. "I wanna go to bed. Good night!"

"Good night."

Ivy went into her own room, while Tyranny went into hers. Since there were two rooms, each girl had one. Ivy settled into bed, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Mason Samuel Kent stared at the sky in disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes. No way could it be true.<p>

Alex noticed that Mason seemed down.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at Mason."

"What?"

"Doesn't he seem upset to you?"

"Yeah. Let me go talk to him. I'm good with little kids."

Lisa went over to the young boy. She sat down beside him, and said, "Hey, Mason. What's wrong?"

"Have you been keeping track of the deaths?"

"Sort of. Why?"

"So, you know how Sadie died today?"

"Yeah..."

"She was the last one from Twelve. Meaning that I'm the only one left from my district."

* * *

><p><strong>So, there's the chapter! I'm sorry it's been over two weeks, but I managed to get it up less than a week after my last posted chapter overall, which is good.<strong>

**Also, I would advise that you all put me on author's alert, because I have another SYOT coming up! I'm pumped about this one. It's another monster - 74 tributes plus! So, I can't wait for you guys to see it! Keep your eyes out.**

**Just letting you know, I'm going to be a bit stricter with that story about the forms, following the story, etc. It's nothing against any of you, but I'm just trying to be a bit fairer to those authors who have been following me and reviewing nearly every chapter. Now, I'm telling you this because I just want you guys to get ready to submit and sort of give you dibs, but remember to follow the rules which I will be setting up.**

**I'm really sorry if your tribute died this chapter. I've really become attached to them all, but now, I'm doing it based on logic. Again, I'm really, really, sorry, but this just has to happen. **

**See you guys soon, and keep an eye out for a new story!**

**-goldie031**


	41. Interlude: A Gamemaker Meeting

**Oh goodness. I'm so sorry that this chapter took me so long. I had a lot of homework and vacation, and...**

**Anyways, this chapter focuses on a Gamemaker meeting. It will give us a chance to see what goes on at one of these shindigs. We'll get to know every Gamemaker on the team, including Amethyst, the Head, even though we already know her. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Fifteen Gamemakers milled about the room. It was an unusually relaxed atmosphere.<p>

Amethyst Emerald, Head Gamemaker, entered the room. "Take your seats!" she commanded, and everyone sat.

Amethyst had revolutionized Gamemaking. She had two sets of 16 Gamemakers – Group 1 for odd-numbered Games, Group 2 for even-numbered Games. When they had meetings, all of the Gamemakers sat at a round table. Amethyst found that when you treated your Gamemakers nicely and didn't yell at them or kill them, they were actually a lot more productive. But, if you crossed her...

"All right. First of all, I want to congratulate you on a well-executed first three days. These haven't been an easy Games to maneuver, and you're doing a great job.

"Having said that, we're now entering the most difficult part of the Games. The middle few days are usually dull, so we really need to keep up approval ratings. Oceanus says that these Games have the highest approval rating in years."

Oceanus nodded. "These Games have the highest approval rating since the first Quell. I don't know why those Games had such a high rating, but I can guess that it has to do with the fact that the Districts were somewhat invested in their tributes."

Oceanus had sea-green hair and eyes. His job was the only one in which he couldn't be biased toward the tributes from his District, Four: monitoring the Capitol's favorite tributes and the approval ratings of the Games.

"Do you have a clear favorite tribute yet, Oceanus?"

"No."

"A least favorite?"

"No. There's a huge difference of opinion in the Capitol. But I thin we'll get a solid favorite once we hit the halfway point."

"OK. We'll have to touch on the halfway point later. Now..."

Jameson Soneclair entered the room. He was assistant Head Gamemaker, and he was a lot tougher than his boss, Amethyst. He looked it, too, with a black buzz cut, black eyes, and pale skin. Jameson was basically in charge of covering for anyone who was sick or unable to go to work for any reason, as well as taking on any tasks that don't fall under the jobs of the other Gamemakers. He was the only Gamemaker in both groups, and was next in line to be Head Gamemaker.

"Jameson."

"Amethyst."

"Jameson strongly disliked Jameson. She never really wanted him to be Assistant Head Gamemaker, but he was the most productive, organized Gamemaker; really, he was one of the best. Jameson took his seat to Amethyst's left. He nodded to the rest of the Gamemakers.

Amethyst continued.

"Sami."

"Yes, Amethyst?"

Sami Rolo, with caramel-colored hair , chocolate brown eyes, and tannish skin, was the youngest Gamemaker, at only 16. She was still in school – actually, she had a tutor – but her job, tribute statistician, was doable in and around her tutoring. Sami's job was to keep track of which tributes were alive, injured, and dead, their kills, and their sponsor banks. She regularly communicated with Oceanus as to the favorite tributes, and kept track of any tributes that the other Gamemakers needed her to keep special track of. Though each Gamemaker had a small screen at their station showing where each tribute was in the Arena, Sami had, at her station, one of the only two full-size screens that really showed the whole arena. The other was in the meeting room.

"How are the tributes doing, in general?"

"It's pretty good. You have spurts of action, and then nothing. I've actually got a question."

"Yes?"

"What are we doing about Thad?"

"Hm." Amethyst processed the question, and then, suddenly, an idea formed. "Arela!"

"Yes?"

Arela Riviera, with lime green hair and hazel eyes, was the third of four twist developers. She took an basically designed challenge, elaborated it, and made it "permanent".

"How are you doing on the day 5 twist?"

"I just need to make sure all of the mutts are working. How are you doing on that, Apollian?"

Blue-haired, green-eyed, yellow-skinned Apollian Raienerel was in charge of developing any muttations or technology required by the Gamemakers. He was a bit blood-thirsty, but he was one of the most tech-savvy Gamemakers,

"Yeah?"

"Have you finished with the mutts I need?"

"Nearly. I just need to finish with the glitch-tests."

Amethyst broke in. "Do you have an outline of the challenge, Arela?"

Arela slid a piece of paper over to Amethyst. "Here." Amethyst read it over.

"Island nine has mutt 9?"

"Naturally."

"Appolian. Program mutt 9 for Whisper."

"Whisper?!" exclaimed both Arela and Appolian. "Are you sure?" continued Arela.

"Don't contradict me!"

"OK. I'll take care of that," said Appolian.

"Now, Arela, how do you expect all of this to get into the Arena?"

"Well, that's where Sparkles comes in."

Sparkles Pink was the pinkest Gamemaker. She had light pink skin, bright pink lips, darker pink eyes, sparkly pink skin, and ALWAYS wore silver and pink. She was in charge of making sure that the landscape of the Arena was as it should be.

"Right," she said. "Almost everything is ready to go in; we'll get it in tomorrow night. I'm going to require Luna's help, as well as Zeus's."

"Right," said Zeus. He had golden hair, blue eyes, and wreath tattoos all over his glowing-gold skin. Strong and muscular, his job was to supervise the crews that worked under the Arena. He and Sparkles worked together to make sure that the could get the Arena looking the way everyone wanted.

"Once everything is ready, and Arela has given the OK, Zeus and his crews will get everything physically in there,"

"Remember, the mutts need to be heading to the Arena by 2 PM tomorrow."

The four – Arela, Appolian, Zeus, and Sparkles – nodded.

"I still don't understand how you guys are getting things into the Arena," said Sami naively.

"The water is actually held into the Arena by a forcefield of sorts," explained Sparkles. "It's engineered so that we can get things in and out, but it won't let anything through it unless we tell it to."

"Cool!"

"OK, I see what you guys are doing with that," said Amethyst. "But where does Luna come in?"

"She's the night guard."

Luna Yerach, who had grey eyes, silver hair, and pale skin that seemed to give off moonlight, added, "Exactly. I'm going to supervise the Arena while they're working to make sure that no tributes wake up."

"And Athena is there now, correct?"

Athena Simetras was the daytime guard. Zeus's twin, she also had golden hair, blue eyes, and glowing-gold skin, but she had owl tattoos on her wrists. She guarded the Arena during the day, from 8 AM to 8 PM, and Luna guarded it during the other hours.

"Yes," said Aphrodite, Athena's assistant. Though each Gamemaker had an assistant. Athena and Luna's assistants, Aphrodite and Selene, were the most involved, as they filled in for their masters, so to speak, if they had to guard during meetings. Both were expected to become Gamemakers very soon.

"All right. Now, Sparkles, you said that almost everything is ready to go in. Has it all been transported yet?"

"Everything except for the mutts," said Arela.

"Good."

Amethyst turned to Hael Storem, who was in charge of the weather and time in the Arena. He had spiky yellow hair and stormy gray eyes.

"Hael."

"Yes?"

"I've got a problem."

"What is it, Ma'am?"

"The weather in the arena has been too good. I want a storm in the next three days."

"But you have a Storem!"

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. So, Max."

"Yeah?"

Max Valesky was the hottest Gamemaker. He had brown hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a six-pack of abs. He had a similar job to Arela, but they worked on different twists.

"You're working on the Day 7 twist?"

"Yes."

"How's it going?"

"Great. I have the order ready, and Appolian has the things I need. I just don't know: a) how to get the things we need into the Arena and b) how to move the tributes."

"We can figure that out when it gets a bit closer. Maya!"

Maya Jameson Robles Forbes Jackson, currently married to husband number 4, had an auburn bob, orange skin, and blue eyes. She also had a job similar to that of Arela, developing twists.

"How are you doing on 7a?"

"It's hard, because SO many things could change between now and then.."

"I know. But just try to get a basic idea."

Maya nodded.

"Amber!"

"Yeah?"

"First of all, great job with the twist today. Have you gotten a new one from Rocque?"

"No."

Amethyst turned to Rocque Croque. The scariest Gamemaker, with red eyes, scaly green skin, and no hair, Rocque came up with the challenges for Maya, Amber, Arela, and Max to develop.

"Rocque?"

"I have writer's block of sorts. I'll have something by tomorrow at noon."

"OK. Who have I not checked in with... Jade!"

"Yeah?"

"How are things going?"

Jade hated her job – supervise the tributes staying outside of the Arena.

"All right. The Adrina twins haven't killed anyone yet."

"Tomorrow, I need you to take Acestes and Bellona back to the Arena."

"Why me?"

"You're supervisor. You have to supervise."

"All right," Jade complained.

"Daria."

"Yeah?"

Black-haired, blue-eyed Daria Lax was in charge of organizing sponsor gifts. She communicated regularly with Sami as to the size of the sponsor banks.

"How's it going?"

"Well. I haven't gotten as many requests, but using the ones I have is tough. Since the ships move, I actually use a remote control to send the parachute down and bring it back up."

"And how are you communicating with Sami?"

"Well, our stations are right next to each other, so that makes it easy. We actually have programmed the computers so that the balance of the sponsor banks is sent to both of our computers."

"That's good."

"Did I not check in with anyone?"

Nobody spoke up.

"Anything else?"

"You said you wanted to talk about the halfway point," said Oceanus.

"Right. Thank you."

Amethyst turned so that she was facing all of the Gamemakers.

"This is really important. Tomorrow night, we are planning to have a halfway point special. This means we need to be down to 48 tributes."

"But we have 55 now!" exclaimed Sami.

"Right, Sami. That's what we're saying. We need to get the total number of tributes, including those who are outside of the Arena, down to 48 or less. That means that you guys have the permission to do anything to lower the tributes to 48. Now, the issue is that we don't want to make it too obvious that we're trying to lower the number of tributes. So you guys have to be really careful."

"Do you have a plan for if we land with 49 tributes or more?"

"Yes, two plans. One involves a mutt. The second involves a sponsor gift. Daria, I'll give you the gift and instructions as to who to send it to with what note. We'll more likely use the second plan."

"All right."

"Now, Hael, remember, I want a storm. We might be able to use that. We also have no idea who gets seasick. So it could be testy, but it might work."

"Got it!" said Hael.

"Is there anything else?"

Nobody spoke up.

"I think that's all, then. Good work, guys. Meeting adjourned!"

The Gamemakers headed back to their stations. Amethyst watched them go.

She was proud of them.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? I personally enjoyed it a lot! I know that there's no action and a weird balance between dialogue and narrative, but I hope that you enjoyed it anyway!<strong>

**Now for some good news! I have a new SYOT! YAY!**

**The link to the story can be found on my profile. I need about 56 tributes, so I'd really appreciate getting some help from you! Now, at the same time, just because you submitted tributes here doesn't necessarily mean you'll get first serve here. Your tributes still need to be detailed and not Sue-ish. And I will not bump any tributes out of any current slots. You will have to read the story in order to submit because I have a code. Please submit!**

**The next chapter will focus on Day 4 of the Games. There will be more death, as you can see, but also more cool stuff! I can't wait for you to see it!**

**-goldie031**


	42. Day 4: Energy and Ice

**Well, here we go with Day Four! Just a quick note, this is going to be a tough chapter. The deaths are going to start to get harder; tributes you like will die and those you don't will survive. But, I think you guys will really enjoy this chapter anyways. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Good morning, baby," said Whisper. Her and Thad kissed.<p>

"Good morning. How are you?"

"Great."

The two headed above-decks. They found Auden already there sharpening her knives.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Thad. Have you seen Barley?"

"I think he's still asleep."

Auden stretched her arms.

"What else is going to happen today? I'm bored. Can we do something?"

"Hey, look! Yellow sails."

Auden grabbed a knife.

"Wait a second, Auden. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Are you kidding? I'm sure!"

"Wait a moment, then. You might be a Career, but I'm a lot older than you. Let me show you."

Thad took a knife and stood about 8 feet in front of the mast. "When you throw a knife, you want to get a good grip on the handle of your knife first. But don't release it until you get your hand over here."

"Like this?"

"Bingo!"

"Do you think I can get Marynna?"

"Of course."

Auden took her knife and looked over the side of the ship. She aimed her knife and fired.

BOOM!

"Bulls-eye. Go!"

Thad sailed the ship away very quickly.

"Great job! You'll be an amazing Career in no time!"

Auden smiled.

* * *

><p>"We've got to be a bit safer," said Quinn. "We only have three people left on our team now."<p>

"I know," said Candella. "I miss Marynna a lot. She was fun."

"But she was really energetic as well. And that was tiring," pointed out Jamie. "What should we do now?"

"Let's have breakfast," suggested Candella. The three tributes went below-decks to catch a bite to eat.

"Cereal, Jamie?"

"Sure, Quiinn! What kind is there?"

"Sugar Flakes, Super Berries, and Energy Crunch."

"Energy Crunch."

"Good choice."

Quiinn found a bowl and poured Jamie a bit of cereal. Jamie ate it, and suddenly jumped as high as the ceiling.

"What the heck?" exclaimed Candella.

"I think that the Energy Crunch berries had too much energy for Jamie. Now he's crazy."

"Well, let's keep him below-decks. He can't accidentally jump overboard if you do that."

"Can he swim?"

"No clue, but I'd rather not find out."

"Boing, Boing, Boing! WAHOO!"

"Change of plans. We need a trampoline."

* * *

><p>"Tag, you're it!"<p>

"No, you're it!"

Lambell and Xander ran above-decks. Lambell came up first, but then Xander tripped over the top step and started to cry. Maybell ran over.

"Are you OK?"

"No."

As Xander picked his head up, blood gushed from his nose.

"Shoot. LILA!"

"What?"

"Come up here! Rye-Ann, go run below-decks and find all of the medical supplies."

"What will that do?"

"Cotton balls."

"Ah."

Rye-Ann ran below-decks. On the way, she passed Lila.

"Good morning, Lila."

"Good morning."

Rye-Ann dashed to the supply closet. She grabbed all of the medical supplies she could find, plus a bit of ice, and ran back above-decks.

Maybell and Lila were sitting by Xander while Lambell waited. Rye-Ann ran to Maybell and gave them the medical supplies.

"Thanks."

None of the tributes had noticed that their ship had come near an island. Moss and Toby boarded the ship.

"Hey, they're back! Nice to see you guys!"

"You too, Rye-Ann. What's going on?" asked Moss.

"Xander and Lambell were playing tag. When they ran above-decks, Xander tripped on the top step."

"Ouch."

"Didn't I break my nose once?"

"Right, you did, Toby."

"And Mama put ice on it."

"Good idea, Toby! Can you run and see if we have any?"

Toby ran below-decks to see if they had any. He couldn't find a fridge.

"Nothing," he said, as he came back up. A parachute then came down with an insulated bag full of ice.

"Perfect!" exclaimed Maybell. After applying the ice to Xander's nose, the swelling began to go down.

"It looks a lot better now," said Maybell.

"Could be worse," said Rye-Ann.

"We'll look at it again tomorrow, but the bleeding stopped. Just keep your head elevated. Lila, take him below-decks and have him lie down on his bed with his head elevated."

"Got it," said Lila.

As the siblings went below-decks, a knife suddenly hit Rye-Ann in the back. She screamed, and dropped to the floor. Moss looked up and saw purple sails.

BOOM!

"Run!" screamed Moss. Everyone ran below-decks except for him and Toby. The two dropped below the edge of the ship.

"Do you think that you can hit Ivy over there?"

"I think."

"Here's a knife."

Toby glanced over the side of the ship. He held up his knife, and fired.

"Bulls-eye."

"Good job, bro! Now, come on."

The two crawled over to the trapdoor.

* * *

><p>Over on the purple ship, Tyranny was crouched over Ivy.<p>

"Are you OK? How long can you hold up?"

"Maybe a minute more. Thank you for being a great friend, Tyranny."

"You were a sister to me, Ivy. Thank you for that."

"Take my token."

"Really?"

"I want to be with you. Take it.

Tyranny took Ivy's token off of her neck. A parachute came down with a vial; Tyranny took a knife from her belt, cut off a lock of Ivy's hair, and put it in the vial. She put the vial on the necklace, next to Ivy's bird charm, and fastened it around her neck.

"Do you think your family will care?"

"No. I think they'll understand."

Ivy's heartbeat slowed. The green eyes of both girls met.

"Goodbye, Tyranny."

BOOM!

Tyranny stood up. A hovercraft came down and took Ivy away. Suddenly, Tyranny noticed a note in the vial. She opened it up and read it.

Tyranny,

As you know, you are now the only surviving member of the purple team. Therefore, you are now going to be a member of the silver team. We are maneuvering your ship towards their ship. Please lower your corvus when it arrives.

Tyranny felt her ship move. She went to the black box under the steering wheel and looked up the silver team's information.

**Silver Team**

**Alive: Apollo Mariner, District 3, Shine Scott, District 7, Cassiopea Erin Winters, District 9.**

**Dead: Sparkle DeFontaine, District 1, Emmet Westercamp, District 2, Creig Donovan, District 7, Hallin Crow, District 11, Sadie Wood, District 12.**

**Team Kills: 7 (Sparkle: 1, Shine: 6)**

"This seems to be a good team," thought Tyranny. "I guess I'm nervous to work with Shine. But we did work together before..."

From afar, Tyranny could see the silver team's sails. She stood at the side of her ship and waited for it to get closer.

Once the ship got into correct proximity, Tyranny lowered her corvus. She looked back and thought, "Is there anything else I need? No."

She went over the corvus.

"Hello, Shine."

"Hi, Tyranny. This is Apollo, and this is Cassie."

The two younger kids waved shyly.

Tyranny scanned her new team. Things looked good.

* * *

><p>Dek and Darren were currently playing the fourth consecutive day of pirates. And everyone was now aggrivated.<p>

"If those two jokers spend one more hour playing pirates," said Nyx, "I will personally lock Dek in one room and Darren in another."

"Come on," said Trinity. "They can't be THAT annoying."

"YES, THEY CAN!" exclaimed everyone else except Dek and Darren.

Marianne was flipping through her photo album. She was immobilized due to her hamstring injury. Trinity headed downstairs to see what was happening.

"Hey, Marianne."

"Hiya."

"What do you think of the pictures?"

"You were a really cute little baby."

"Thank you! That's my much-older sister, Paris. She's twenty. She has a little baby girl."

"So that would be my first cousin, once removed?"

"I think so."

The two spent a little bit more time talking, until they heard a scream from above-decks.

"Stay here," said Trinity, and she went above-decks to scope out the scene.

By the time she got up there, Dek and Nyx were lying in pools of blood on her ship. Each had a knife in his back. She heard four cannons. Trinity couldn't tell who the other two cannons belonged to, but she knew she'd find out by the anthem.

* * *

><p>Gold team was down one tribute – Cain Mohen from Five. Unfortunately for the other tributes, the only remaining tributes on gold team were the three strongest tributes in the Games – Goldstar, Bellona, and Acestes.<p>

"I think we've got a great shot at this!" said Goldstar.

"Yeah," replies Acestes. "But remember that there are going to be at least two more twist days."

"True. What did you guys do while you were out of the Arena?"

"Nothing, really. We rested, had a few good meals, and plotted a strategy."

"And then?"

"One of the Gamemakers took us back to some launch pads that brought us into the Arena. And then we came aboard."

"That's pretty boring."

"Sort of, but it was nice to take a rest."

Goldstar noticed that the sky was getting dark. "Boy," she said, "I feel like today passed by really quickly."

"I agree," replied Bellona. "I mean, I know we got back at noon, but it is really early."

"And I'm also (yawn) so tired," added Acestes.

"This is weird. I never feel this tired this early!"

Suddenly, the anthem played. The three tributes looked up at the sky as the deaths showed.

**Nyx Heyton, District 1**

**Marynna Breck, District 4**

**Rye-Ann Brooke, District 4**

**Cain Mohen, District 5**

**Ivy Ember, District 9**

**Dek Farland, District 10**

**Mica Piprick, District 10**

"I wonder how Mica died," said Goldstar. "I didn't kill her, but there were four cannons after our battle with the blue team."

"I wonder..."

"Good night, guys."

"Good night."

Acestes and Bellona went into one room, and Goldstar went into the other. Moments later, Goldstar was asleep.

* * *

><p>"Good work, Hael!" exclaimed Amethyst. "It actually worked!"<p>

"How did the tributes get so tired by just making it night?"

"Not sure, but I know it worked. I think Appolian developed invisible sleep dust."

"Cool. Is Mica actually dead?"

"Not quite. I've gotta go deal with her, and then talk to Astrid, Lucy, and Holly."

"Have fun!

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it! You'll have to wait for next chapter to see what Amethyst was talking about in terms of Astrid, Lucy, Holly, and Mica. <strong>

**Oh, and by the way. Please check my profile for a poll. Assume that there will be a new poll up there every time I post a new chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter! PLEASE submit tributes to my SYOT and review, review, review!**

**-goldie031**


	43. The Halfway Point Interview

**So, this is a chapter that'll go into what happened to Mica, and we'll also see a little bit of what happens with Astrid and Lucy. There will be a small recap of what happens to THEM, but not the WHOLE Games, per se. Check it out!**

* * *

><p><span>Mica Piprick POV:<span>

I sink to the floor in disbelief. Dek, my baby cousin, is gone, dead.

And I am, too.

Astrid rubs my back. "Go out proudly, Mica."

The screen in front of us shows the Games, the current action. But I can't watch, knowing that the one thing I was fighting for is no more.

Amethyst Emerald comes into the room.

"Mica, come with me."

Amethyst leads me through a few corridors until we come upon a black door. She turns to me.

"As you know, now that Dek has died, you must as well. There is a cup in there. All you need to do is swallow the contents of it, and you will die instantly. You can take as much time as you'd like, because everyone knows that you're dead; your face was shown in the sky tonight."

Amethyst pushes the door open, and bows her head as I walk in. The door closes and locks behind me.

I look in the cup.

Nightlock.

I know that nightlock will kill me instantly. I also know that I'll probably have a much more painful death if I don't eat it.

I pick up the cup. As I look inside, many thoughts run through my head. I let Dek down. I let my family down. I let myself down. I want to be remembered. I don't want the Capitol to target my family.

But they killed Dek.

I count the berries.

Perfect.

I set one berry out and squish the rest into juice in the cup. Using the juice, I write F*** THE CAP TOL on the floor.

I lay myself down where the "I" should be in CAPITOL.

"Goodbye, world."

I eat the last berry, and fall into an everlasting slumber.

* * *

><p><span>Astrid Evans POV:<span>

After Mica leaves with Amethyst, I sink onto my bed. It's so BORING being with the little girls all day. I love them, but still...

Suddenly, President Emerald comes in. I instinctively jump up.

"President Emerald! What a pleasant surprise! Can I get you something."

She smiles. My shoulders relax, and I take a deep breath.

"What brings you here?"

"I have exciting news! You three will be interviewed on a special tonight about the halfway point of the Games."

Holly's eyes light up.

"Does that mean we get to play dress-up?"

"Yes, Holly."

"Yay!"

"Come with me, gorls."

Lucy, Holly, and I follow her into a room that looks a lot like the Remake Center. Each of us sits on one of the three beds.

"Astrid and Lucy, your stylist unfortunately had to take some time off. Therefore, you'll all be styled by the same stylist, Holly's stylist. You'll be prepped and dressed here, and then you'll go to the stage. OK?"

We nod.

"Let's get started."

Our three prep teams come in.

"Astrid!" exclaims Juno, the eldest girl on my prep team. "We're so glad you made it out!"

"I'm glad, too," I reply.

"We were SO worried," Raina stresses. She's the youngest, something like 19, but she's really good at this stuff.

All three of our prep teams attack us. Although we were already dealt with before the Games, they still want to make sure we look OK. They, thankfully, only wax my legs. Lucy and Holly have their leg hair, what of it there is, shaved off.

Then, we strip. Curtains are drawn between us and the prep teams look me over. The third person on my prep team, Plato, says, after they observe me, "You look good, Astrid. We don't really need to do anything with you."

"Thanks."

I am given a robe to ear, and then the curtains are pulled back again. The prep teams get to work on makeup.

Lucy and I get the same makeup done. We are given light pink eye shadow, lip gloss, and blush. I'm not sure why it's so simple, but I'm sure Helena knows what they're doing. Our nails are given a French manicure.

Holly has yellow eyeshadow, a little bit of blush, and lip gloss. It's very simple, which complements her very well. Her nails have been given a simple French manicure as well.

The prep teams exchange glances. I notice that they haven't done any of our hair, but before I can point anything out, they all scurry off to get our stylist.

A woman comes in a few moments later. She has curly, light brown hair and brown eyes. In tow is a little girl with hazel eyes and the same curly, light brown hair.

"Hi, Elodie! Hi, Elodie's Mommy!" exclaims Holly.

"Hello, Holly," says the woman. The little girl, who must be Elodie, silently slips over to Holly; the two immediately begin to play.

"You girls must be Astrid and Lucy," says the woman. We nod. "I'm Helena, and I'll be your temporary stylist."

She glances around.

"Elodie! I told you, you can't play with Holly until she finishes getting dressed!"

Elodie sheepishly slinks away to her mother. She winks at Holly.

"Now, Holly, your outfit will be easiest for me to explain. So let's do you first, so that you and Elodie can play and GET OUT OF MY HAIR!"

The little girls giggle.

Helena claps her hands twice. The prep teams reenter and stand by their tributes. Plato comes in last, wheeling in a rack with three long dress bags.

"Holly, you know how I've been dressing you in yellow, right?"

"Yeah. And Alex in blue, and Kendyll in green, and Lisa in red!"

"Right. So, today, you're going to wear more yellow!"

"Yay!"

Helena opens the first bag to reveal a yellow skirt and a white shirt with a yellow sun on it. A pair of black ballerina flats fall out of the bottom of the bag and gently hit the bottom of the rack.

"Get Holly into her outfit quickly, guys."

"Got it!" says one of the guys on her prep team. They begin to put the shirt on Holly.

"When you're done, brush her hair out and put in that yellow headband. Keep her very simple."

"Got it."

"Now, for you two, I had to figure something entirely new out, considering that I've never worked with either of you before. So, we decided to play off the fact that you're sisters."

Helena opens the other two dress bags. The two dresses are identical; the dress itself is white silk, and there is organza over the skirt. They have a gauzy aura to them. There's a pair of low white heels to go with each dress, as well as a simple white headband.

"It's beautiful," says Lucy.

"Thank you, girls. Now, we need to put the dresses on now, just in case we need to take them in or out. I don't have your exact measurements, so this is a bit of a test."

We slip on the dresses carefully. I zip it up, and it fits me perfectly, but Lucy's is a bit big. Helena grabs a bunch of pins and begins to take it in. While she's doing that, Juno brushes my hair and puts the headband in. Raina carefully puts on my shoes. Once Helena finishes up with Lucy, we stand up so Helena can look it over.

"Now, that looks good. Come on, all three of you!"

"Can we play later, Mrs. Kelck?"

"Sure, Elodie."

* * *

><p>Helena leads us to the stage door. The door is right in the back of the stage.<p>

"When the door slides open, just walk through and go and sit on the couch , OK?"

We nod.

"Good luck, girls."

She walks away.

Lucy and Holly begin to play a game of some sort. Meanwhile, I try to listen to what's going on outside.

"_To the tributes, the people who will have the ultimate sacrifice, life, I thank you for taking on such a vital role. As this is a special Hunger Games, we will have a memorial service at the end of the Games for all who died. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." _

They must be doing some recap of the Games. At least, up until this point. I really don't want to listen to this, so I listen to Holly and Lucy play.

After a while, I hear, "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are privileged enough to interview the three tributes who have escaped the Arena."

"Holly, Lucy, ready?"

"Yeah!" they chorus.

We stand behind the door.

"Please welcome Astrid Evans, Lucy Evans, and Holly Brown!"

The door slides open, and we walk to the couch. The crowd is cheering, which boosts my confidence. I smile and wave. Holly sits closest to Caesar, I sit next to her, and Lucy sits on the end. Holly evidently has no fear.

"Hello, girls!"

"Hi Caesar! We're so glad to be here!" I gush.

"I'm sure. So, why don't we start with you, Holly."

"I remember you! We talked about my friends. You still have that creepy shiny hair."

The crowd laughs. Holly looks a bit confused; I rub her back.

"The last time we talked, you told me that your friends wanted you to go on your adventure. How is your adventure going?"

"It's great! I miss my sister and brothers, but they said they had their own adventure to go on and they might not see me again."

"Do you like Astrid and Lucy?"

"Yeah! They're lots like Lisa. I miss Lisa. She was nice to me."

"So, what have you done on your adventure?"

"Well, I stood on something metal and they pushed me up onto some sort of island. Then Alex GRABBED me and we ran onto a boat. Then we sailed over to somewhere. Then we climbed, climbed, climbed up to a door! Then Alex and Kendyll and Lisa said goodbye to me, and they put me in a weird car evelator typa thing. Then it took me to the room. Then..."

"OK, Holly," Caesar chuckled. "So has your adventure been fun?"

"Yeah, but I miss Mommy and Daddy."

"You'll see them soon. And who knows where your adventure will take you?"

Holly smiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Holly Brown!"

Holly smiles and waves. I nudge her over to the side of the stage, where Helena takes her away.

"So, girls, now that Holly is gone, we can talk a little differently. We wanted to keep the whole Hunger Games thing away from her."

We nod. I can tell that things will get a bit more serious.

"So, Astrid, what did you think when you launched up into the bloodbath?"

"Well, the whole twists thing threw me for a loop. I thought we'd all be in the same place, which probably would have resulted in a bigger bloodbath, in my opinion."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, that would have put the Careers in closer proximity with each other. Things probably would have been more bloody because the inter-Career rivalry would have come into play."

"I disagree," exclaimed Lucy.

Caesar and I both look at her.

"With all of the teams there, there wouldn't have necessarily been so much rivalry. Remember, we depend on our teammates for survival. Each of us has certain strengths that can help everyone else out."

"OK, I'll give you that. But I'd be willing to bet that there would have been the same amount, or maybe JUST a bit more in the one Cornucopia rather than in three. People would be grappling for the one thing they want, like certain medical supplies or weapons. And if an inferior tribute had something like knives that a Career like Goldstar needed, that tribute would be practically dead."

"That's true. Goldstar is deadly. But I still think there would be more in the Cornucopia, and it would be spread out."

Lucy and I begin to bicker. Even though we are sisters, we still argue a great deal.

"So are you saying that Goldstar is scary?" Caesar breaks in.

"Without a doubt. She is one of the fiercest tributes. Even though she's 11."

"I almost wish we'd been put on the same team as her. It would have made things a whole lot easier."

"OK, now, the gong rings. What goes through your mind?"

"Well, thankfully, our ship was on our island. So I just ran," Lucy says. "My goal was to get to that ship as fast as I could."

"In our strategy session, we agreed that I'd go in for weapons. And I was right in front of the Cornucopia. There was this beautiful bow and arrow right there in front of the mouth, and I just dashed for it. Once I had that, I could get supplies. I got enough things to not really worry for too long, and then I ran. It was a relief to see Lucy on deck."

"I can imagine, Astrid. So, what did you guys do once you set sail?"

"Just settle in. We wanted to calm down and keep everything calm."

"Marynna and Len were wild, though!" Lucy exclaims. "On the second day, they found some of the sugary snacks. They were running around on the ship so crazily! I almost got dizzy!"

"Did you like the two?"

"Heck, yes! They were a source of light in the darkness of the Games!"

"Very metaphorical, Lucy."

"I try my best."

"All right. Let's fast-forward. We're now at Day 3 and the sibling challenge. You hear about the challenge. What do you think?"

"Well, we had to strategize before anything. We had absolutely no clue what to expect. While we were talking, Lucy said, 'But how will they make it so that a tribute that isn't so good at archery will have something that they're good at?' I'm very good at archery, so I thought that there might be archery involved."

"True. Lucy, why did you ask that?"

"Well, I stink at archery. Totally. If EVERY tribute had to do archery, that would be unfair, because some people aren't so good. Also, if everyone had to do something that was a strength, and in everyone needed to do one of their weaknesses, the challenge would last about 4 hours. There needed to be a balance."

"What did you think it would be, girls?"

Lucy answers, "I thought it would be an obstacle course of sorts. You know, with everyone running through, and the set of siblings with the best average times wins!"

"I thought it would be some sort of thing that we're all doing together. The first finisher wins, etcetera."

"When you saw the actual challenge, who do you think was more right?"

"Lucy," I reply. "She said that everyone would need something different, because people have different strengths and weaknesses."

"Thanks, sis!"

"And Lucy also said just now that she thought it would be an obstacle course."

Lucy smiles.

"I have to say though, I feel a little bit bad for the person who had to come up with all of the challenges. It can be incredibly difficult to do something like that. You have to be creative."

"So, you guys go into your room and hear a voice and get a challenge. What did you think?"

"I was sort of nervous about the wall. I didn't want to fall," says Lucy.

"I just didn't want to place low. If I placed low, I would've gotten some sort of punishment, and I don't want to find out what that would be."

"Well, you know what happened to Mica and Dek."

"That's true. As well as what happened to Astrid and Lucy. But we don't know really about the rest."

"Let's keep going chronologically. Now, you get your challenge. Can you remind us what it was?"

"Sure. First, Lucy had to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a slingshot while I tried to hit 10 bulls-eyes with a bow and arrow. Then, we had to run for 400 meters. After that, we did a small individual section, which consisted of 10 hurdles, followed by a tunnel which we had to crawl through, and it finished with a walk on a balance beam. Finally, we had to work together to climb up a rock wall."

"How do you remember that?"

"I have my ways."

"So, they say to go. What exactly do you do?"

"We just kept moving quickly. I really didn't think about what I was doing; I just kept going."

"Same here," adds Lucy.

"Evidently, you will have no luck telling me what you thought during the challenge, so let's skip to after it. When you finished the challenge, what did you feel?"

"Relieved yet nervous. On the one hand, we finished the challenge. On the other hand, if we placed low..."

"Very true. What did you think when you found out that you won?"

"We were elated. Every synonym for elated, excited and invigorated that I can think of. Both of us became safe!"

"So, now, to move to more recent news, who do you think is the most dangerous tributes still left?"

"Any of the Careers. They're ALL a bit scary, some more than others," I admit.

"Like Goldstar!" exclaims Lucy.

"Shhhh. I wasn't going to say that!"

The audience laughs.

"So you're saying little Goldstar is scary?"

"Well. She was fine at the beginning; in fact, she seemed as innocent as Lucy!"

"But then," adds Lucy, "she started killing. And she became REALLY scary at that point."

"So we tried to stay away from her as much as possible."

"Now, I'm sure you know that your mother is pregnant."

"Naturally. Lulu is SO excited!"

"We've been wondering about her!"

"Well, I can say that she hasn't given birth yet."

"But that says absolutely nothing," I exclaim. "The doctors in 5 are awful. Mom didn't know about me until about two weeks before I was born. Which means that, even though she knows that she's pregnant, the baby could come out any day now!"

"But at least she notices an increase in weight?"

"Well, Mommy's slightly on the plump side. Therefore, she doesn't always weigh herself. So she wouldn't really notice an increase in weight."

"Do you have any suggestions for your mother?"

"Brynn for a boy and Brianna for a girl. Or maybe Brittany, or Bella even."

"Cute. On that note, I have to sign off. Until next time!"

The crowd cheers until the "On Air" sign that is vaguely visible from the corner of my eye is turned off.

"You girls did great, though. I'm seriously impressed. You're NATURALS at this."

"It's easier when we're together. We feed off each other's energy. I'm more comfortable with her, and she's more comfortable with me!" I explain, as Caesar escorts us offstage.

"Very sweet. I'll be leading you girls back to your room, if you don't mind."

We begin walking.

"Caesar?" asks Lucy naively.

"What, honey?"

"When can we go home?"

"I don't know, honey. I don't know at all."

We keep walking. Once we reach the door to our room, Caesar says, "This is where I must part with you girls. I'd advise being quiet when you come in; Holly is probably asleep by now."

"Goodbye for now, Caesar."

We walk into our room. The lights are out, so we sneak in, get into pajamas, and get into our beds.

"Good night, Lucy."

"Good night, Astrid."

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? I know it probably isn't the most interesting chapter, but I like it. It gives you a bit of insight as to what Astrid and Lucy were thinking during the Games!<strong>

**Minor prompting: I really need a tribute for my story, The Capitol Games. Any help would be appreciated.**

**I'll see you next chapter! It's an odd day, which means... A TWIST! YAY!**

**-goldie031**


	44. Day 5: Island Jam, Part 1

**So, here we are on Day 5. And that means another twist! Yay! I'm really excited for this chapter, and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Move it, guys! Tributes wake up in 30 minutes!"<p>

The Gamemaker's center was in a tizzy. Everyone was trying to direct someone else. The ground crews under the arena, visible by hologram, were in the same chaotic state. Supervising the chaos – or at least attempting to – were Arela Riviera and the elder Emerald sisters.

"Is everything in, Arela?" asked Ruby.

"Yes, everything except for one last mutt."

"Good."

The leader of the ground crews came up to the front of the hologram. "Everything is set, President Emerald, Gamemakers," he reported, bowing respectfully.

"Very good. You may return to your barracks."

Ruby closed up the hologram of the area under the Arena. She then brought up the hologram of the Arena itself, centering it in the main control room. As she looked around, the Gamemakers began to take their seats.

The stage was set for another day.

* * *

><p>"It's been a while," said Shine.<p>

"Yes, it has," replied Tyranny. "I can't believe we're on the same team now!"

"Remember when we used to spar with those foam swords when we learned swordsmanship?"

"Yeah! And remember the time they gave us real swords that were meant for the older kids by accident?"

Overcome with nostalgia, the two smiled.

Suddenly, trumpets blared. The two girls' heads jerked upwards.

"I forgot that today's an odd day," said Tyranny. "Cassie! Apollo! Get up here!"

The younger tributes zoomed up to the deck. All four trained their eyes and ears on the heavens, from where they could hear the trumpets.

"Tributes!" came the voice of Claudius. "As you know, today is an odd-numbered day, which means another twist. Today's twist is as follows:

"Scattered around the arena are a number of islands, each with a different theme. These themes relate to ancient books, games, movies, or television programs. Some islands will have good things on them, others will have bad things, others will have neither, and still others will have both. You must visit at least 4 of these islands.

"After you visit an island, you will receive a token of some sort. With that token, you must go to the center island and feed it into your team's kiosk. This will monitor that you have visited the required four islands. The tokens will only be accepted by your kiosk, so be careful!

"You have until the anthem to visit all of the required islands. If you don't visit them all, there will be a punishment for your team. Good luck."

All four of the members of silver team exchanged glances. "Come on!" exclaimed Cassie. "Let's get started!"

* * *

><p>"Which island should we go to first?" asked Conall, who was expertly piloting the ship.<p>

"How about that one? Number 16?"

"Sounds good!"

"Conall expertly piloted the ship to the dock next to the island. The six members of brown team – Alex, Lisa, Kendyll, Conall, Alain, and Mason – disembarked. The island was basically a beach with a large, metal, drum-shaped structure with a room jutting out directly in front of where the six stood. They entered the room. Once all six had entered, the door closed behind them.

"Hello, brown team. Welcome to Island 16," said a female voice. Alex recognized the voice as the same one that had introduced his sibling challenge. "The theme of this island is an ancient movie called _Honey, I Shrunk the Kids_. You will be entering a world in which everything will seem huge. You must make sure not to get hit by anything. A path has been laid for you to take, but you may explore other areas as well. Good luck."

"Come on!" exclaimed Alain, and they rushed through the door.

Immediately upon entering, they heard talking. "Kids! Breakfast!"

Two pairs of feet stampeded toward brown team "Watch out!" yelled Conall, and they ducked behind the table leg.

"This is going to be interesting," said Lisa.

Twenty minutes later, they were in the room of one of the kids. Alain was on the bed, fiddling with some sort of controller.

"You can push buttons, and move this stick thing! It's so cool!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. "Hide!" exclaimed Lisa.

Most of the team members were able to hide behind the door. Alain, however, could only get to behind the post of the bed. Lisa caught Alain's eye. "Stay put," she mouthed, and the younger girl nodded.

After another twenty minutes, it was evident that the kid was not doing anything. Lisa and Alain met eyes again, and the former nodded.

Alain creeped out from behind the bed post. She began to tiptoe across to the door.

"Let's play darts!" exclaimed the kid. Something or another launched and hit Alain.

"Go and get out," exclaimed Lisa. "I'll save Alain."

Lisa ran to the dartboard and dragged Alain back under the bed. "Are you OK?" asked Lisa.

"I'm OK. I think that the dart hit me bad, though."

Lisa looked at Alain. The dart had pierced right through her arm. Her wound was mortal.

"I'll stay with you until you feel better, OK?"

"OK."

Lisa stayed with Alain until her breathing grew heavier. Lisa stroked the younger girl's hair, until Alain's eyes fluttered closed.

Alain's body was lowered down. Lisa sighed, wiped a tear from her eye, and went out the door.

Once she got to the last door, she found the rest of the team.

"Alain?" asked Kendyll. Lisa shook her head. An eerie silence fell.

"Come on. We waited for you to go through."

The three headed through the last door. Sitting in the room was a key card of some sort. Lisa picked it up, and the remaining members of the brown team went out the door. They found their ship right in front of them. Conall swiftly piloted the ship to the center island.

"Where to next?"

* * *

><p>"Ok, where to start?"Asa, Belle, and Mars started to scan the surroundings. The islands all looked the same except for the numbers; they looked like they'd been sprayed on a crate.<p>

"How about Island 6?" suggested Belle. Asa nodded, and the ship was piloted into the dock.

"Before we get off, I have a question, Asa," said Mars. "You can hear and see, right?"

Asa nodded.

"You just can't speak."

He nodded again.

"Ok. Got it. Belle, bring the knives, too."

Belle ran below-decks, grabbed the knives, and ran back up. The tributes disembarked and entered the little room.

"Hello, black team. Welcome to Island 6. This island is based off of an ancient jukebox. We will play a song and you must find the record that matches up. Oh, and watch out for moving records."

"Come on!" said Belle. "This should be fun!"

The tributes entered through the other door onto a large black disk with grooves in it. Suddenly, a song started to play.

_Sing it out, boy you gotta see what tomorrow brings_

_Sing it out, girl you gotta be what tomorrow needs_

"This one!" exclaimed Belle, grabbing a record with the title, "Sing". The record suddenly lifted up.

"MOVE!" yelled Mars, as he and Asa ran off of the record. The record set down where Mars and Asa had been staying.

_I remember when we broke up the first time_

_Saying, "This is it, I've had enough," 'cause like__  
><em>

_We hadn't seen each other in a month__  
><em>

_When you said you needed space. (What?)__  
><em>

"What is this song?" asked Belle.

Asa recognized it. He ran over to a record titled "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and touched it. It too moved over.

"How'd you know that?"

Asa shook his head.

_I threw a wish in the well,_

_Don't ask me, I'll never tell_

_I looked to you as I fell,_

_but still you're in my way_

"Let's wait, it'll play more," said Belle. "Then we can find the title."

"Good idea," said Mars.

_Your stare was holding_

_Ripped jeans, skin was showing_

_Hot night, wind was blowing,_

_Where you think you're going baby?_

_Hey, I just met you,_

_And this is crazy,_

_But here's my number,_

_So call me maybe._

That's it!" exclaimed Mars. "Call Me Maybe is the title of this record here."

The young boy touched the record, and it moved.

_And I... will always love you, ooh!_

Asa touched another record near him.

_Is this the real life?  
><em>_  
><em>_Is this just fantasy?_

_Caught in a landslide_

_No escape from reality_

"Any idea?" asked Belle. The boys shook their heads. "Well, let's just touch every record. We'll get it eventually."

The three did just that, touching every single record in the jukebox. Ironically, the correct record, "Bohemian Rhapsody", was the last one they tried.

A door appeared. The three ran through.

On the floor were a small black disc and a satchel of knives. A note was in the satchel.

_These knives are for successfully guessing the songs. There are four knives each for the four songs you successfully guessed, and one knife total for the song that you randomly guessed. Congratulations.  
><em>_  
><em>Black team left the island to head to the center of the arena. They had a good feeling about the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>"This island looks good. Island 4," said Crash<p>

"What could it be?" exclaimed Smash excitedly.

"I've never seen you this excited over anything."

"Get used to it."

The twins smiled.

"Hey, Eagle. Can you bring the ship into there?"

"Sure. It's nice to see you two getting along!"

Once the ship was docked, the team disembarked and entered the room.

"Hello, red team. Welcome to Island 4. This island is inspired by an ancient series of books and movies with the recurring title of _Harry Potter_. On this island, you will be playing a game of Quidditch. Each of you will be playing one of four positions. The Keeper defends the three goal rings. The Chasers, of which there are three, must work together to pass the red ball, called a Quaffle, through the other team's goal rings. The two Beaters aim to hit the black Bludgers with wooden bats into the players on the opposing team. The Seeker attempts to catch the Golden Snitch, which is a little golden ball that flits around the pitch. Getting the Quaffle through one hoop scores ten points, and catching the Snitch earns you 150 points and ends the match.

"Oh, and this all happens on broomsticks. Good luck."

"This is INSANE!" exclaimed Syeira. "How is this possible?"

"Look, let's just get positions set," said Smash. She decided to take charge.

"Crash, you have good eyes. Play Seeker. Eagle, you're strong. Play Beater. Syeira, you'll play Keeper, because you're the biggest one left. And I'll play Chaser."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"OK."

The four grabbed the brooms and headed out the door. They found themselves in a locker room. Three other people were there.

"We're filling in for the other three members on the team. Who's playing what?"

"I'm Chaser," said Smash. "Syeira here is Keeper, Crash, my brother is Seeker, and Eagle is Beater."

"OK," said one girl. "My name is Alice, and this is Molly. We're Chasers as well. John over there is a Beater."

"Eagle," asked John , "Do you want to play Blind Side Beater or Open Side Beater?"

"Which is easier?"

"Open Side."

"Let me do that."

"Crash," said Molly, "I usually play center keeper, so you'll play to my right, all right?"

A very confused Crash nodded.

"Put on these robes," commanded Molly. "They'll unify us as a team."

Each member of red team put on red robes with gold trim.

"Come on!" said Alice. "The game's about to start!"

The tributes headed out into the pitch. Each mounted their broomsticks, and they were ready to go.

"Players, I want a nice clean game. No fighting, OK?"

The players nodded. The other team was wearing green robes with silver accents. On the scoreboard, there were two names, Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"Who's Gryffindor?"

"One of the Quidditch teams here. You are representing them, and we're also on the team."

"Cool."

The referee unlatched the case, and the four balls came flying out.

"Crash. That gold thing is the Snitch. GET IT!"

Crash zoomed to the Snitch. He could see its tiny wings fluttering. He reached out to grab it, and it flitted out of his hand.

"This is going to be tough."

Smash got her hands on the Quaffle. She held it with one hand, curled it into her body, and zoomed toward the goal. Once she got within about 10 feet, she threw it.

"Goal! Ten points for Gryffindor!"

"YES!" exclaimed Smash. She flew back, and tried to give her brother a hug, but it didn't really work.

"Watch!" exclaimed Eagle. A Bludger nearly hit Smash, but she ducked just in time.

"You're a natural, Smash!" said Molly.

"Thanks."

The game continued. After about 20 minutes, red team was leading 60 to 0.

"But they can still win if they get the Snitch," said Smash to herself.

Suddenly, a Bludger flew at Smash. She managed to duck in time; unfortunately, Syeira was right behind her. The Bludger hit Syeira right in the face, and she fell off her broom.

"No!" exclaimed Smash.

Alice said, "Smash, play Keeper for a bit. Crash, you NEED to get that Snitch."

Without an experienced Keeper, Slytherin scored a whole mess of goals. It was more important than ever to catch that Snitch.

The Snitch kept flitting around. The Seeker from Slytherin was trying to get it as well. Eagle saw the opportunity, and smashed a Bludger into the Seeker.

Crash zoomed straight to the Snitch. He circled around it, faster and faster, and then he caught it.

"The Snitch has been caught! Gryffindor wins!"

The red team zoomed back down to the pitch.

"Great job, guys," said Molly.

"Thanks."

While the three fill-in players returned to the locker room, the team crowded around Syeira.

"You OK?" asked Smash.

Syeira's skull was bashed in. Blood was pouring out everywhere. She whispered, "No."

Eagle rubbed Syeira's back until a cannon boomed.

"You were a great teammate. Rest in peace."

The team moved out through the locker room to the door. On it was a note.

"Please remove the robes," read Eagle. "Well, OK, then."

The three stripped of their robes and went back to the little room. On the floor was a red Snitch.

"Why's it red? Right, because we're the red team," Crash said, answering his own question.

"Come on," said Eagle. "We need to go."

The three headed to their ship, and set off to the main island.

* * *

><p>"Where to next?" asked Xander. They had just gotten back from their first island, and were now ready to move on.<p>

"That one. Right there. Island 28."

"All right."

Moss piloted the ship over to the dock jutting out to the island. The team disembarked and entered the room.

"Hello, brown team. Welcome to Island 28," said a female voice. "This island is based off of an ancient video game called _Super Mario Brothers_. You will only participate in level 1 of the game. Coins can be exchanged for supplies at the end of the run. Powerups can be obtained by jumping on blocks marked with question marks or hitting them from beneath with your head. For your protection, we ask that you wear the provided helmets, Good luck."

A wall swiveled around, revealing six helmets labeled for each tribute. They put them on, and went through the door.

The setting was very whimsical. Big green hills could be seen in the background, and floating blocks were visible in the front.

"Come on!" exclaimed Xander. The teammates started to go.

Toby ran to get a coin. When he tried to grab it, it disappeared, but every tribute felt a little jolt through their body.

"Hm," said Maybell. She ran and grabbed another coin. The same thing happened.

"Good to know," she said, and they continued on their way.

Next, they came about a row of blocks. The middle one was a question mark block. Xander went under it and hit it with his head. Out of it came a red flower, a blue flower, a propeller mushroom, a star, and two red mushrooms. Each tribute picked one.

Xander took the propeller mushroom, and suddenly, a propeller sprouted from his hat. He floated up into the arir.

"LILA! What's happening to me?"

"It's a helicopter powerup. You can fly now!"

"Cool!"

Lila grabbed the star, and found herself glowing. "That's invincibility, I think," said Moss.

"Awesome!"

Toby took the ice flower, and Lambell took the fire flower. Toby threw an ice ball at Lambell, who countered it with a fireball. There was a bit of a explosion.

Moss and Maybell had taken the mushrooms, and found themselves, like the rest of the tributes, much, much bigger.

"This is really cool," said Maybell.

"I agree," replied Moss.

The tributes continued down their path. Suddenly, a big, mushroom-like creature appeared. Moss jumped onto it, and it disappeared.

"How'd you do that?"

"I just guessed. I'm sure that there's some logic to it."

The tributes continued on their way. Each time they collected a coin, they felt a jolt. They managed to jump on many, many of those mushroom things.

Then, they saw a turtle. Moss jumped on it, and it turned into a shell. He jumped onto the shell, and it knocked down a bunch of the mushroom things before falling off a cliff.

"I wish we could stay here forever!" exclaimed Xander.

"I know, but we still have two more islands to visit. I think we're almost at the end."

After just a little bit more walking, they finally found their way to the end of the island. A little pink mushroom was on the floor of the room where they ended up, as well as a tablet. On it was a note.

_Each item has a price in coins. Any item you buy will be placed on your ship._

The tributes spent 10 minutes picking out items. Once they were out of coins, they left the room, went to their ship, and headed back to the main island.

* * *

><p>Orange team was moving on to their second island. Thad piloted the ship into the dock, and now they were in a small room jutting out from the island.<p>

"Hello, brown team. Welcome to Island 9," said a female voice. "The theme of this island is an ancient movie called _The Princess Bride_. You will be entering a scene from the movie called the fire swamp. There are three challenges in the swamp, and you must avoid all three obstacles. Good luck."

Whisper and Thad exchanged glances. The tributes headed through the door into the island.

Little Barley's eyes widened. The swamp was quite dark because of all of the trees up top. Barley's eyes dotted up, then down, and then started to take a step.

"Watch!" exclaimed Auden. A jet of fire shot up from the ground and, had Barley not moved over, he would have been scalded.

"Let's keep moving," said Auden.

The group carefully moved along. Thad was nervous for his girlfriend.

"Can you carry me, Thad?"

"As you wish."

The group continued down the path. Suddenly, Auden yelled, "STOP!"

"What?" exclaimed the rest of her team.

"That's quicksand. Right there. You step in, you sink. Quick."

"Got it. How do you get around it?"

"Like this!"

Auden grabbed a vine and swung over the quick sand. Once she reached the other side, she sent the vine back. Barley grabbed on, and swung over.

"Whisper! Go next!"

"I'm scared."

"Just grab the vine and swing over."

Thad picked up Whisper and put her hands onto the vine.

"When you get to Auden's side, jump off of the rope. As long as your feet go down first, you'll be fine. Then send the rope back to me."

Whisper nodded. Thad brought Whisper back and sent her over. She jumped at exactly the right time.

"Great, Whisper! Now, send it back!"

The vine came back to Thad, and he quickly came back.

"OK. Those flame jets are obstacle one. The quicksand was obstacle two. What's next?"

"I don't know. But I don't think I want to know."

The group continued to go on. It seemed unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

Auden noticed a rustle in the bushes. She drew her knife, and got into a defensive stance.

Suddenly, a rodent of unusual size came out.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" exclaimed Barley. He jumped behind Auden.

"Why would you go behind me?" exclaimed Auden. "You're taller than me."

"Because you have a knife. And I don't."

"Kids," said Thad. "Get out of here. Go to the exit. I'll figure out a way to get out with Whisper."

The two younger ones held hands and ran to the exit.

Thad grabbed the only sword he had and tried to fight off the rodent mutts. Suddenly, he heard a very feminine scream.

"Whisper!"

Whisper was being attacked by four rodents. Thad tried to fight them off, but one rodent, unfortunately, clawed Whisper in the heart.

"Thad!"

"Whisper."

"I...love...you."

BOOM!

Thad shed a tear onto Whisper's body.

"I'll win for you."

With a vengeance, he began to kill rodents. Rodent after rodent fell at Thad's sword. After he had gotten his revenge on the creatures that had taken the love of his life, he proceeded to meet up with Auden and Barley.

"What happened?" asked Auden.

"The rodents got Whisper."

Auden and Barley approached Thad and began rubbing his back.

"She's in a better place now. Don't worry about her. Just win for her."

"Did you pick up the token?" asked Thad. Auden held up a little orange rodent.

"Come on." Thad piloted the ship to the main island. As Auden and Barley put it into the kiosk, he sat down and cried.

* * *

><p>So, what do you think? As you can see, we focused on about half of the teams today. We'll focus on the other half in the next chapter, and then, on Day 6, we'll focus on the teams that weren't focused on on Day 4.<p> 


	45. Day 5: Island Jam, Part 2

The four members of green team were preparing for their third island. After docking their ship at Island 1, they got off the ship, stretched, and headed into the little room.

"Hello, green team," said a female voice. "Welcome to Island 1. On this island, you will be 'channel surfing' through some ancient television programs. Be careful, and good luck."

"Was that the same voice that talked during the Sibling Challenge?" Fallen asked Viktor.

"Yup. At least, I think so."

The three entered into the main part of the island. In front of them was a TV set with a remote on top of it. Leia turned on the TV.

Suddenly, they were literally sucked into the TV set. They found themselves sitting at a table. Each had a red cup in front of them that read, "Coca-Cola".

A girl came into the room. She said, "My name is Annabella Jackson. I'm 15 years old, I'm from Podunk, Iowa, and I am the next American Idol. I'm going to sing 'Rumor Has It' by Adele.

"Do you know that song?" Leia asked her brother.

"No."

She began to sing. Fallen couldn't believe his ears.

Annabella was AWFUL. She was out of tune, pitch, key, everything related to singing you could think of.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"Not great," said Viktor.

"I agree," added Fallen. "I don't think that you'll be able to go on."

Annabella moped out of the room.

"Hey! I still have the remote!" exclaimed Leia. She pressed the "Channel Up" button. They got sucked through another vortex.

_Are you smarter than a fifth grader?_

_Grab a pencil and a piece of paper!_

_"_I wonder what this is," said Fallen.

Each kid was standing at a podium that looked like a desk. The host said, "OK, you have selected Fourth Grade Math. Your question is: If a car is traveling at 40 miles an hour, how long will it take that car to go 19 miles?"

"I know this!" exclaimed Fallen. He pressed the button on his desk. "Four hours and 45 minutes."

"Correct!"

Leia pressed the button again. "Brace yourself."

The tributes of green team zoomed through the vortex and found themselves in skin-tight jumpsuits with helmets. They were standing on a platform.

"Show us the hole in the wall!"

Three horns went off consecutively. Once the third one went off, a curtain opened.

Fallen got it right away. "We need to contort our bodies to fit through that hole."

The three looked at the hole like it was from another universe. Suddenly, they, like clockwork, got into position. Unfortunately, they completely failed and were swept into the pool behind them.

Leia managed to keep the remote above water, and clicked the "Channel Up" button.

The tributes of green team found themselves on a battlefield of sorts.

"Are you ready to battle?" said the boy across the field.

"Yeah!" replied Viktor. The rest of his team looked at him like he had two heads.

"What are you doing?"

"Why not try it?"

"Do you have a Pokemon you can use?"

"Nope."

"Here. Borrow mine!"

The boy threw Viktor a ball that had red on the top and white on the bottom.

"Throw the ball up, and say, Oshawott, come on out!"

"OK... Oshawott, come on out!" exclaimed Viktor, as he threw the ball up in the air. A little thing that looked like a snowman with arms, legs, ears, and a seashell on his stomach came out of the ball.

"Hey, little guy!" said Victor.

"Osha."

"Can you help me with this? Because I have no clue what we're doing."

"Osha."

The thing sounded very determined.

"Great."

"Pignite, come on out!"

An unusual creature that looked like a fiery pig came out of another ball onto the field.

Viktor stood in a white box outlined on the floor. He nodded to Oshawott.

"Oshawott, use something that's really good!" exclaimed Viktor.

"Osha."

"OK, use Aqua Jet!"

Oshawott did so, and hit Pignite right in the stomach. Pignite flew back.

"Good job, Oshawatt!"

"Stay strong, Pignite! Use Fire Punch!"

Pignite hit Oshawott right in the stomach.

"Now, use Aqua Jet again!:

One more shot at Pignite, and the fire Pokemon fainted.

"Good job, Oshawott!"

Leia hit the Channel Up button.

The four tributes found themselves in a huddle.

"Here's the play," said the man with the number 9 on his uniform. "We need to run a solid pass to you, Fallen. Just catch the ball and run into the end zone. Got it?"

"All right."

The team broke and got to their positions.

"Hut, hut. Hike!"

Number 9 got the ball and stepped back to pass. He threw to Fallen, who ran straight down the field.

"Touchdown!"

Leia pushed the button one last time. The tributes were transported back to the room where they'd started.

"I think we're done!"

Leia put the remote back on top of the TV, and the three headed out of the room. On the floor of the room where they'd started, they found a little green remote on the floor.

"How long do we have until the anthem plays?" asked Leia.

"Not sure," said Viktor, "But it's at least 2 hours. We'll be fine."

"OK," she replied warily, "but let's hurry up so we can get back in time."

* * *

><p>Cyei was getting bloodthirsty.<p>

He hadn't gotten a kill in a few days. The problem was, with the Arena's format, it wouldn't be easy to get a kill that day.

But he would try.

The white team docked their ship at Island 13. They disembarked and entered the small room.

"I haven't been off of the ship since I got on it," said a wobbly Amber. She then fell right into Acacia's arms.

"Careful!" exclaimed Acacia, who helped Amber to stand. The younger girl latched onto the older girl's hand.

"Hello, white team," said a calming female voice. "Welcome to Island 13. On this island, you will be entering a room of booby traps. Each square you step on might set off a trap. Your goal is to make it across the room without setting off a trap, because those traps could spell death for you. Good luck."

An idea popped into Cyei's mind.

"Come on!" he exclaimed, and flew into the room. His teammates carefully entered after him.

Amber scanned the room. The floor was tiled; Amber found that the tiles alternated between a lighter tan and a darker tan that hovered toward brown. Each square had either a circle, square, or triangle on it in one of four colors: red, yellow, green, and blue.

"There must be a key in these signs. Let me try a square."

Danny stepped forward onto a light square with a yellow triangle on it. The problem was, without his glasses, Danny couldn't see what was on it. Everyone waited tensely.

"This one's good."

"So does that mean that all triangles are good, or all squares with yellow, or..."

"My turn to try!" said Cyei. He jumped onto a light square with a blue circle on it.

"Cyei, wait!" screamed Acacia. "You might set off a trap!"

But nothing happened.

Cyei looked at the squares around his. He noticed that in between the tile he was standing on and the ones around it was an ivory-colored mortar. But, the square to the left of him had small, barely noticable gaps between the tile and the mortar around it.

Cyei made a connection. He figured that those gaps meant that the square to his left would trigger a booby trap.

Cyei pranced around the room. By finding the gaps, he managed to get all the way across the room. But, he had been very sneaky when he pranced. He went back and forth around the squares to confuse his teammates. Finally, he hit the finish point.

"How'd you do that?" asked Amber.

"Didn't you see the path I took?" asked Cyei.

"No."

Hmm, thought Cyei. On the one hand, I can kill them all by leading them the wrong way. But I do need them. I can't steer the ship.

"Let me tell you the secret. Look for small cracks in between the tiles and the mortar. It sets off a trap."

"But I can't see the gaps," said Danny. "I have no glasses."

"Let me lead you over, then. You're blocking the girls anyway. It's your only shot."

Danny thought about it. "All right," he said tentatively. Cyei began to lead him around the room. Danny was a bit concerned that Cyei was trying to trick him, but he also didn't know how Cyei knew how to get across.

"Danny, step diagonally to the right onto that light square with the red circle," said Cyei. Danny obliged.

"Where to next?"

"Hang on..."

Cyei looked at the squares around Danny.

"The only two squares that aren't trapped are the one where you came from, which would be counter-productive, and the one to your left."

Cyei was telling the truth. Those were really the only two non-trapped squares around Danny.

"I don't believe you."

"Why?"

"Because you have killed many tributes, including one of your own teammates. I think that the only square that is trapped is to my left!"

Danny stepped onto the square to his right, and fell into a pit.

"I told him," said Cyei.

"I guess we can trust him," said Acacia.

The girls then headed across. What Cyei had said was true.

"Thanks for your help, Cyei," said Amber."

"No problem."

The three exited the trap room and found a little tile on the floor. Amber picked it up, and they headed out of the little room. Their ship was waiting for them

"Come on; we have to hurry! We still have one more island!" exclaimed Cyei. They boarded their ship and headed back to the main island.

* * *

><p>Blue team docked their ship at Island 18.<p>

"I hope that this is a fun island," said Darren as they disembarked. After Dek's death, he had begun to feel sadder and lonlier, because he had lost his playmate.

"Me too," said Trinity.

The blue team entered the room that jutted out from the circle.

"Hello, blue team," said a female voice that sounded very familiar to Trinity and Marianne. "Welcome to Island 18. This island is based on an ancient arcade. Each of you will receive 15 tokens. You will be able to use them to play games and get tickets, which can be exchanged for prizes once you're done. Have fun!"

"Yay! This'll be fun!" exclaimed Darren. He raced through the door; the rest of his team followed. Four cups were on a small table to the right of the door. Each member of blue team took a cup and began to play.

"Pac-Man," read Darren. "One token. Why not?"

Darren put a token in the little slot. He took the stick and saw that, when he moved it, the little yellow thing on the screen moved around.

It turned out that Darren was pretty good at Pac-Man. He managed to escape the ghosts nearly every time. That is, once he figured out what the ghosts were. Darren got all the way up to Level Four before he lost.

"Yay!" said Darren as a whole bunch of tickets came spurting out of the machine. He picked them up and brought them to a bin that said "BLUE TEAM" on it.

Trinity was having a lot of fun with Skee-Ball. It was very easy for her to figure out the proper trajectory with which to throw the balls. Although she didn't get 100 points every time, she still managed to do a great job.

Sen was a bit confused. He didn't really know what to play. He decided to try his luck at Deal or No Deal. It seemed easy enough. All that he had to do was pick random cases.

"Case 9, for my home, District 9," he muttered, as he selected Case 9.

A while later, he was down to two cases, Case 9 and Case 5. One had a thousand tickets, and one had ten.

"I'll keep Case 9," he decided.

The woman on the case opened it.

"Congratulations! You have won one thousand tickets!"

Sen collected the tickets, and put them in the bin.

Marianne was playing Popcorn Catch. Her goal was to catch as much popcorn as she could in a little net. She was really having fun with the game. Even though it was possibly the easiest game, she was having a lot of fun.

"Got one! Got two! Got eight!"

Once they were all out of tokens, the group went over to their bin.

"Let's go exchange them," said Sen. As the oldest on the team, he'd sort of taken the lead, but he wasn't really much of a leader in the first place, so he sort of depended on Trinity to act as a leader as well.

The group took the bin to the counter, where the tickets were counted. They mainly exchanged them for medical supplies. Once they were done, they headed out the door of the arcade. On the floor, they found a blue token. They took it and headed back to their ship.

"One more island!" exclaimed Cyei!

"Let's hope it's as fun as this one was."

Once they got to the main island, they slid the token in a slot in the kiosk much like in the arcade.

"Which island do you want to go to next?"

"Can we go back to the other one?"

"Probably not."

* * *

><p>"Last one?"<p>

"Last one."

The members of gold team had docked their shop next to Island 5. Now, standing in the room, they were all a bit nervous.

"Hello, gold team. Welcome to Island 5. This island is based on an ancient book called _Divergent_. In the book, the characters face their fears in something called a fear landscape. You will be facing one of your fears today. Each of you will be injected with a serum and then enter through one of three doors. Your entry times will be staggered. The serum will kick in sixty seconds after you are injected. If you don't succeed in facing your fear...

"Good luck."

Three men came in. Each was holding a needle full of serum.

"Goldstar will be going first," said one of the men.

"Good luck," said Goldstar to her teammates.

"You too," replied Ona. The three kids embraced. Goldstar was injected with the serum, and she entered the room on the left.

When she entered, Goldstar found herself in an all black room. She took a deep breath.

Suddenly, the room changed. Goldstar was laying on a long, long wood plank. A faceless man lit the very end of the plank on fire.

Fire.

Goldstar had been trained for practically her whole life to show no fear, to be fearless. But the one fear that she had never been able to conquer was fire.

The fire crept along the board. Goldstar tried to break free, but she found her wrists, ankles, and torso tied to the board.

She began rhythmically breathing.

The fire crept closer. Goldstar could feel the hot, smoking tendrils lick the bottoms of her feet.

"Oh, no! The fire will burn you alive!" said one side of Goldstar's brain. The other said, "This is all in your head. It's fake. Don't worry. It can't hurt you."

Goldstar continued to breathe.

Suddenly, her shoe caught on fire.

Goldstar shrieked. She tried to shake the fire off of her foot, but since her ankle was tied down, she couldn't.

She felt the heat from the fire on her face. Goldstar began to sweat, though from nerves or from the heat, even she would never know.

Next, her pants caught on fire. She stayed calm and managed to not freak out. Just as her shirt was about to catch on fire, she found herself back in the black room. She still felt the heat from the flames on her face. Goldstar breathed a huge sigh of relief.

She would live to see another day.

As Goldstar was facing her fear, Ona turned to her brother.

"I love you, Ona. I hope you do well."

"You too, Ace."

The two hugged. Bellona was injected, and she entered her room. She paced around, waiting for the serum to kick in, taking deep breaths.

The room changed.

Ona found herself on a metal plate. In front of her was the Cornucopia. She could somehow tell that Ace was there, but she couldn't see him.

GONG!

All of the tributes began to run.

Ona immediately noticed that this was not the same bloodbath that she'd faced at the beginning of the Games. For one thing, the island that she was on wasn't connected to any other, nor were there trees on it. For another, the only tributes on this island were Careers.

Ona ran right into the bloodbath. She needed to get a weapon.

Suddenly, she heard a scream.

Ace's scream.

Without even thinking, Ona ran around to the back of the Cornucopia. There she found Ace, pinned to the ground by a javelin.

"Ace. No!" she yelled, and knelt beside him.

"Ona."

"What happened?"

"Dad... here. Came up and stabbed me."

"Impossible. He's back home in Four."

"Wrong. I'm here. And now I can rid myself of both of you meddling brats."

Ona's stepfather stabbed her right through the heart. She could feel her heartbeat slow, and she blacked out. Her cannon boomed.

She would never wake up.

Ace watched as Ona entered her room. He took a deep breath, and allowed himself to be injected with the serum. He entered his own room.

Though he did not know it, Ace's room changed into exactly the same island that Ona had faced.

GONG!

Ace, much more sensible than Ona, chose to not immediately run in. He was trying to figure out what felt so weird to him. It was like he could feel Ona's presence.

Suddenly, he heard her scream.

"Ona!"

He started to run to her, but froze. There was no way Ona could really be there. The scream was fake!

"Ace, help!" yelled Ona. A bloodcurdling scream followed.

The lines between what was real and what was not began to blur in Ace's mind. On the one hand, Ona could NOT be there. But her screams.

They were so real.

Another scream pierced the air. All thoughts fell from Ace's mind; his instincts kicked in.

He had to save his sister.

Ace followed the sound of the screams. He found Ona pinned to the ground behind the cornucopia.

Something wasn't right.

"Ace, help me!"

Ace's heart was telling him to move forward, but his brain was telling him to run.

Ace decided he would slowly back up. This way, he'd be able to run back to his sister if necessary.

One step back.

Two steps back.

Three steps back.

Four steps back.

"Ace," Ona pleaded.

Something snapped in Ona's mind.

"Ona!"

Ace ran to his sister and knelt beside her. His conscience was trying to tell him that something wasn't right, but Ace just couldn't listen. He needed to be there for Ona.

Suddenly, he felt a spear go through his heart. His heart rate slowed, and the last thing he saw before he permanently blacked out was his stepfather's evil face.

His cannon boomed.

Back in her black room, Goldstar was nervous. She'd heard two cannons, and had no clue who they belonged to.

Suddenly, a door opened. Goldstar reentered the room where she'd been injected. She found a note on the floor, along with a box and a little gold stone with a flame on it. She read the note.

_Goldstar,_

_Unfortunately, your teammates have failed to face their fears. Therefore, you are now alone on your team. We, as a result, are switching you to yellow team._

_In the box is a yellow shirt. Please change your shirt and leave your gold one in the box. Then, sail your ship back to the main island and put the stone into the kiosk. Once yellow team finishes their final island, they will meet you at the main island. You will be able to figure out what from your ship you'll need to use on their ship. Then, you will have to say goodbye to your gold ship and move on._

_We wish you luck in the rest of the Games._

Goldstar felt sad. The Adrina twins were the closest thing she'd really had to friends. Even Velvet and Sugar Lee were really just minions. But, she had to push on. Otherwise, she could never win. She changed her shirt and left the other one in the box. Then, she exited the room and headed to her ship.

"Now, how do I steer this thing?"

Suddenly, the ship began to sail directly to the main island on its own. Goldstar sat on the ship and waited.

Once the ship hit the main island, Goldstar disembarked with the little stone in hand. She put it into the gold kiosk. Then, she walked around the island and waited by yellow teams kiosk.

* * *

><p>"Ready for our next island?"<p>

"I guess," said Candella. "This is our last one, right?"

"Yup," said Quiinn.

The members of yellow team disembarked and entered the little room.

"Hello, yellow team. Welcome to Island 14. This island is based on an ancient series of books and movies called _Harry Potter_. In the books, a major focus is a game called wizard chess. On this island, you will be playing a live game of wizard chess. The game will mirror the game in the first book of the series. Jamie, you will play a black knight. Candella, you'll play a black rook, and Quiinn will play a black bishop. In order to win, you must beat the white team. Should your piece get taken, you will not survive. Good luck."

"Oh, boy," said Quiinn. "This is dangerous. And I have a feeling that one of us won't survive, especially if they're assigning us pieces."

"All we can do is hope," replied Candella. "Jamie, are you OK?"

Jamie, usually an energetic young boy, was subdued. His face was slightly contorted.

"I'm just a bit shaken after seeing Marynna die yesterday."

"I know, Jamie. This is hard. But I'm sure that we can find a way to remember them in a good way, right?"

Jamie nodded. "Come on. Let's go!" he exclaimed, with new-found enthusiasm. The three entered into the main part of the island, which happened to be a giant chess board. The three took their places, and as soon as they were on their individual squares, a white pawn moved forward.

"I guess we're starting."

The game continued. When the first piece was taken, the tributes were stunned as the piece that took it smashed it over the head.

"OK, those pieces have to be mutts," thought Candella.

The game continued. Candella, Jamie, and Quiinn moved occasionally, but mainly, the movement was done by the other pieces. Suddenly, they heard, "Jamie. Knight to H-3."

"What are they doing? Why'd they ask you to move?" asked Candella.

"I see," said Quiinn. "If he moves like this, then the white queen can take me. Then I can move three spaces left and checkmate the king!"

"I don't know. It means losing you, Jamie."

"If this is the way that you can get out, then I'll be fine. Just ask Trinity May Belle to tell Fiona, my sister, that I love her. OK?"

Candella nodded. Jamie bravely walked over to square H-3. The white queen jumped up and captured Jamie. He was bashed over the head and dragged off the board.

"Don't move!" exclaimed Quiinn to Candella, who wanted to run to Jamie. Quiinn stepped to his spot, and said, "Checkmate." The king took off his crown.

"We're good, Candella."

The two ran over to Jamie, who was bleeding profusely from his head wound.

"He won't make it," said Quiinn. Just as he said it, Jamie's cannon boomed.

"Come on," said Candella. "We need to go. We still have another island to do today."

"True." Quiinn mussed Jamie's hair for the last time. Candella kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Jamie."

The two headed out of the room. On the floor of the room where they ended up, they found a small yellow knight, along with a note.

_Yellow team,_

_Unfortunately, all the members of gold team have died except for one, Goldstar. As a result, we are switching her to your team. Please bring the chess piece to the main island and put it in your kiosk. You will then be able to conference with Goldstar as to which of the weapons and other supplies from her ship you will be able to use. Then, she will switch over to your team._

_Good luck._

"I'm nervous about this," said Candella.

"Why? It's a good thing. She's a Career."

"Yes. She could kill us,"

"Come on," said Quiinn, sounding exasperated. They sailed back to the main island, and Candella quickly put the chess piece in the kiosk. Then, she turned to the young girl behind it.

"Hello, Goldstar," she said, a little timidly.

"Hi!"

"Are you going to kill us?"

"No, silly! You're on my team now!" she said peppily.

Candella heaved a huge sign of relief.

"What weapon are you good at?" asked Goldstar to Candella as the two headed downstairs to the weapons closet. "I'm good with knives."

"Me too," said Candella, "and Quiinn isn't really good with any weapon."

"OK. So, let's take all of the knives and daggers. I have this blowgun and that slingshot, so Quiinn can probably learn how to use those, or we can use them as a backup."

"Anything that you can use for traps?"

"Yeah, here. We should probably also take all of our medical supplies."

Once the two girls had collected everything they needed, they moved it, with Quiinn's help, over to the yellow ship.

"Let me just say goodbye to my ship, and I'll be right there," Goldstar said once they were done.

"OK," said Candella.

Goldstar turned back to her old ship as yellow went to their's. She went to the top of the stairs and looked around at her old home. "Goodbye," she whispered, and then turned around and went to a new beginning.

* * *

><p>"Final island, right?" asked Shine.<p>

"Yeah," said Tyranny. "Let's do this one right here. Island 20."

"Sounds good."

The group docked their ship The four disembarked, the older kids leading and the younger ones behind. They then entered the little room jutting out, and awaited further instruction.

"Hello, silver team. Welcome to Island 20. This island is based on a ride at an amusement park called "Disney World. All you will be doing is sitting in a boat and riding in a canal. This is a nice, relaxing ride. Have fun!"

"There HAS to be a catch," said Tyranny. "This is just too good to be true!"

"Let's find out!" exclaimed Shine, who adventurously got into the front row of the boat.

"I'll go in if you will," said Apollo. Cassie nodded, and the two got into the back row of the boat. Tyranny sat in the front, next to Shine, and the boat took off.

The boat began to move. On all sides of the boat were little dolls that moved. A song began to play.

_It's a world of laughter, a world of tears_

_It's a world of hope and a world of fear_

_There's so much that we share _

_That it's time we're aware,_

_It's a small world after all!_

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small, small world._

_There is just one moon and one golden sun,_

_And a smile means friendship to everyone._

_Though the mountains divide,_

_And the oceans are wide,_

_It's a small world after all!_

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small, small world._

"I can already tell that this song will get stuck in my head," said Tyranny.

As the boat continued, the song kept playing and the dolls kept moving. All four tributess were getting completely aggravated with the song.

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small, small world._

"Tyranny, how much longer?" asked Cassie. "Those dolls are creeping me out."

"I don't know, but I can't stand the song. It better be soon."

The ride continued.

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small world after all._

_It's a small, small world._

"One more time, and I'll rip the head off of one of those dolls," exclaimed Tyranny.

"I wouldn't," said Cassie. "First, we're over water, which is probably deep. The dolls are also most likely mutts that will eat you alive."

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Hold her down, Shine."

It turned out that, by the exit from the ride, they had only been in there for 5 or so minutes. Once they got off of the boat, they found themselves back in the room.

"We must have gone in a circle," Cassie said.

Suddenly, the same female voice from earlier began to speak.

"Silver team. The silver doll on the floor is your token from this island. You will also find a box next to it. That box has four purple shirts. You now have the option to keep your team's color as silver, or you can switch it to purple. It is your choice. Please leave the color shirt you decide against in the box."

The four looked at each other.

"I think we should go with the purple," said Apollo. The other four looked at him quizzically.

"Why do you say that?" asked Shine.

"Well, think about it. Silver is iridescent. It's shiny. You can see it from afar because of the way the light catches it. I think we should use purple."

"Tyranny," naively asked Cassie, "will it bring back bad memories?"

"I think that it would be an honor to Ivy's memory to have such awesome people on my team."

"All right. Apollo, go over in the corner to change."

The four tributes awkwardly attempted to change clothes without any of their teammates seeing them. Once they were done, they took the doll, which mirrored the dolls on the ride, put their old silver shirts in the box, and headed out.

"Where's our ship?" asked Cassie.

"Come on. Let's walk around a bit and see if we can find it."

Silver team walked in a circle around the island. Once they got back to where they were, they found their ship again.

"Let's get to that center island quick; it's getting dark," said Shine.

The group sailed over to the main island. They found their kiosk and inserted their token.

"Good timing. Here's the anthem!"

The silver team looked up to the sky. The following faces appeared:

**Whisper Willow, District 2**

**Danny Robin, District 3**

**Bellona Adrina, District 4**

**Acestes Adrina, District 4**

**Syeira Laviah, District 5**

**Jamie Wretherly, District 8**

**Alain Fennor, District 10**

"I guess that's that. Goodnight, Shine. Goodnight, Tyranny. Goodnight, Cassie," said Apollo.

And, with that, they retired for the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, gosh, guys. This chapter took me WAY too long. I got a bunch of major homework assignments, and you know...<strong>

**This is just bad.**

**Anyway, I'm trying to get onto an update schedule, but it's not exactly working. I'm going to try to get back onto that.**

**There's going to be a new poll up within the day. I have deaths planned through Day 7, but I still don't have Victors set up. And there WILL be multiple Victors.**

**PLEASE submit more tributes to my other story, The Capitol Games. I'm hoping to have Day 6 up within the next week...**

**If I'm lucky.**

**-goldie031**


	46. Day 6, Part 1: A Perfect Storm

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Hunger Games or any of the characters involved. The only characters I own in this story are the Gamemakers and the Emeralds. All the rest either belong to Suzanne Collins or the authors who submitted tributes to this story.**

* * *

><p>Morning preparations continued as usual in the Gamemaker Center. Everyone was setting up their stations for the coming day.<p>

"AMETHYST!"

Ruby Emerald came storming into the Gamemaker Center. Everyone immediately got out of her way.

"What is it, Ruby?"

"Did you pay attention to yesterday's footage?"

"Mostly, but I was busy making sure that the twist went smoothly and nothing glitched out. Why?"

"There were five cannons. Seven tributes were listed at the end of the day. Do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"TWO TRIBUTES WHO SHOULD BE DEAD ARE NOT!"

"All right. I can fix it. I have a plan."

"Good."

Ruby stormed out.

"Do you actually know how to fix it?" asked Amber, looking up from her station.

"No, but I've got a plan. Daria!"

"Yes?" said Daria, who looked up quickly.

"Does Lisa have anything in her sponsor bank?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need you to send her a gift in a little bit. What about Cyei?"

"Don't worry, he's got something. If you need to send something to him as well, I can make that happen. Why do you ask?"

"You'll see. Just set up two sponsor gifts, one for each of them. Let me know when they're ready."

* * *

><p>Goldstar woke up in an unfamiliar room. She was a bit confused, but then she remembered: Ace and Ona were dead, and she got moved to the yellow team.<p>

Goldstar got out of bed, and went to the provisions cabinet. She grabbed a water bottle and headed above-decks, where Quiinn and Candella were waiting.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

"We thought we'd have a get-to-know each other session," said Quiinn.

"Why?"

"Because we're on a team now. We have to work together."

"All right. What do you want to know about me?"

"Well, what motivated you to volunteer?"

"It's sort of a long story. My father neglected me when I was younger. He loved my mom, but never gave me any attention. So, I had this longing for attention that most kids don't have. Also, Daddy was always away on business, so I never really got to see him.

"Most of the kids in One go to the Career Academy. And because we are filthy rich, we could more than afford to send me there. The thing is, most of our money was spent on my parents' alterations. They also spoiled me rotten, especially since I'm an only child. I had more toys than I knew what to do with! I was lucky."

"Wow."

"Well, all of those toys are great, but I really wanted attention. So I trained really hard. And, lo and behold, I turned out to be pretty darn good. I was one of the top students in my year. I excelled in knives. Every night, once I got home, I would practice throwing the knives at my wall. As you can probably guess, knives are my best weapon.

"When I heard that the reapings would include five to eleven year olds, I figured that it would be a good way to get my dad to notice me. The Academy didn't even bother making a volunteer list for the younger kids because they figured we'd be hopeless. That opened the door for me. I knew that I could do well if I volunteered, but I debated up until the day of the reaping whether or not to volunteer. But I decided to do so, mainly to get my father's attention, but also partly to prove to myself that I could do it. And I haven't been proven wrong yet, thankfully."

"Wow. That explains a lot," said Candella.

"Yeah. On the outside, I try to be a sweet little girl, but on the inside, I'm a monster. And that side of me finally has a place to be unleashed. What about you, Quiinn? What's your life like?"

"Well, I live in 11, so I'm not super-poor, but I'm also not super-rich. I work in the fields all day. When I was little, I used to work in the trees, literally. See this scar above my left eyebrow?"

"Yeah."

"I got that by falling out of a tree."

"Ouch," said Goldstar.

"Yeah. That freaked my mother out, but I kept working in the trees until I got too heavy to, when I moved into the cornfields. I'm actually a minority in 11, because most of the people are black there. Whites like aren't seen often."

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, do I! I have one older brother named Olleson, but we don't get along well. He's 19, so he finally escaped the reaping. Then come the twins, Ricka and Ari, both 13. Ricka is sweet and shy. He loves me and I look out for him. Ari is louder than Ricka, and she always likes to have the last word. She's a real chatterbox. Hannass is the baby of the family, at age 4. She's a sweet, bubbly little tyke, and she loves attention."

"Fun! I've always wanted a sibling. How about you, Candella? What was it like in Three?"

"Well, I'm an average Joe in Three. The hard part is that I lost two of my siblings when I was 10. Itsu was 15 and Taylia was 14 when they were killed in a factory accident. I was really close to Itsu, my brother, but now I'm closer to Edlin, who's now 11."

"That's so sad!"

"Yeah, but life happens. And to be honest, that death was faster than the Games would have been."

"I'm actually really glad that you did this. I really feel like we're a team now," said Goldstar.

"That was the idea," said Quiinn, who smiled.

* * *

><p>Appolian Raienerel was waiting by his machine. He had made 32 of the 38 items required by Max for the Day 7 twist. For some reason, his development routine wasn't working right.<p>

Suddenly, it began to spark. Nuts and bolts began to fly everywhere.

"Uh-oh."

Appolian ran out of the room in order to avoid injury. He headed straight for Amethyst Emerald's office.

"Come in."

Appolian tentatively entered the room. Amethyst was writing something out on her desk.

"Amethyst?"

Amethyst looked up. She could tell that something was wrong.

"What happened?"

"The machine malfunctioned. Nuts and bolts are spewing everywhere. I think it might explode."

"How many items did you make?"

"32."

"All right." Amethyst took a deep breath. "In that case, I'm going to go have to talk to Hael. We're going to have to go to Last Resort One."

"Already? You've never used Last Resort this early."

"It's Last Resort One, not Absolute Last Resort. Hopefully, it'll make the tributes go down to 32. Come on."

Amethyst led Appolian down the hallway. Appolian thought, _It could have gone worse_.

Amethyst thought, _I can't believe what's going on. And the day before the biggest day of the Games, too! I hope this works out. It better. Otherwise, I'm literally dead._

* * *

><p>"Fallen. Fallen!"<p>

Fallen blinked his eyes open. Standing above him was his little sister, who was poking him in the side.

"What do you want, Leia?"

"I just wanted to see if you were awake. And you are," Leia said matter-of-factly.

"I wasn't, until you woke me up."

"Whoops."

Leia went out of their room and headed above-decks.

"He's up," she reported to Viktor.

"Did you wake him up?"

"No."

"Let me rephrase that. How did you wake him up?"

"I poked him a bunch of times."

"Aha."

Viktor chuckled. Leia was a lot like his younger sister, Fleur. He couldn't believe that she'd been a shy young girl when they'd first met.

"What are we doing today?"

"Well, it is an even day, and tomorrow is the seventh day in the Arena. So, we should probably get ready for the twist. I think it'll be a big one."

Suddenly, something caught Viktor's eye.

"Look, Leia. It's a bird!"

Sure enough, there was one big white bird circling around the sun's circumference.

"I wonder what it means" said Viktor.

"You think it's a sign?"

"Yeah. The Gamemakers wouldn't randomly put a bird into the Arena."

"But you usually see birds near oceans. I think. That's what Toby Darya said when I met him in training We were talking about our home life, and he told me about these things called seagulls that they have there. It might be a mutt. Or maybe it's just a bird. But it's not a sign."

Suddenly, the bird began to dive down toward them. Leia shrieked, and bolted towards the trapdoor that led below-decks. Thankfully for her, the bird went for a fish in the water, not her.

["The bird MUST be an omen," confirmed Viktor.

"A good omen, or a bad omen?"

"My dad taught me a famous old proverb that's gone through our family for generations. When in doubt...run."]

The two dashed below-decks, where they ran into Fallen, who was eating a hunk of bread.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"There was a bird outside."

"A bird. Really, Leia. You're scared of a bird."

"No! Viktor thought it was an omen. We followed a famous old proverb that his dad taught him: when in doubt, run."

"Well, I wouldn't run from a bird. It's just a bird, after all."

"You never know."

* * *

><p>"Do you think he'll get up today?"<p>

"Doubt it, Barley."

"Do you think he'll ever get up, Auden?"

"I don't know. I think he will eventually."

The two younger tributes were standing over Thad's bed. After Whisper's death, he had sunk into his bed in tears. Pining for Whisper, he hadn't gotten up since. He couldn't believe or accept that she was gone.

"I think it's hopeless to try to wake him up now," said Auden. "Come on. Let's go above-decks and do something."

The two went above-decks. Barley, who was still slightly scared of Auden, said, "What should we do?"

"I don't know. I never really played games back in One."

"Well, let's just run around. It'll be fun!" Barley suggested.

"No, that's dumb and boring," scoffed Auden. "We should... whoa!"

Auden pointed to a bird. It was diving toward a fish right next to their boat.

"That's so cool!" exclaimed Barley. "That beak could probably kill someone."

Suddenly, a malicious grin popped onto Auden's face.

"On, no," said Barley. "You're not going to kill me with that beak, are you?"

"No, but we can use it to kill someone else. Come on!"

The two ran to the storage closet.

"We need a net," Auden began.

"Why a net?"

"Well, we can pull the net underwater. The bird will go for a fish, and then we'll catch it!"

Thad came out of his room.

"What are you two doing?"

"I saw a bird and I want its beak to make a knife."

"Carry on."

Thad went back into his room.

"Thad's really acting weird."

"Yup."

The two looked through the closet and found the largest net in the closet. They then brought it above-decks.

"Now, take that end of the net. Don't let go of it," commanded Auden. She looked at her belt to make sure that she had a dagger. Then, she took the other end of the net.

"We need to fling the net over the edge of the ship and make sure there's a fish within the boundary of the net. One, two, three!"

The net went over the edge. Auden looked over the edge to make sure that the fish was in position.

"Good. Now, we wait. Don't let go yet."

Barley looked up. The bird was circling around the circumference of the sun again.

"Why do you think it circles?"

"No clue. We don't have a lot of birds in One. I think it's looking for something..."

"Like the fish?"

Auden looked back at the fish inside the net.

"Exactly. Be ready to pull."

The bird suddenly seemed to spot something in the water – right by the orange team's ship.

"Come on, come on!" Auden whispered, silently urging the bird down. "Get the fish. Get the fish!"

A white missile suddenly shot down from the sky towards the fish.

"PULL!" yelled Auden. The two began to pull the net onto the ship's deck. The net, thankfully, was very light, because there was only a bird in it. The two had nary a problem getting the net onto the deck.

Barley and Auden collapsed onto the deck. "Do you still have your end?" asked Auden.

"Yes."

"Good. Come here."

The two tied their ends together; now the bird was trapped.

"Time to examine this bird."

Auden took the part of the net that actually had the bird in it into her hands. She began her examination.

"It's got a good amount of meat on it. Nice wings, but what I really need is the beak."

Auden began to scan its face. She accidentally looked at it in the eye. It eyes seemed to plead, "Don't kill me. Don't kill me."

Auden's heart felt a flutter of remorse. It was a foreign feeling to her, one she'd been taught not to feel.

She looked at the bird's beak. It wasn't even that sharp. In order to even make it useful, it would require a good amount of sharpening, which Auden couldn't do.

Auden took a knife and raised it over the bird. Barley closed his eyes.

She cut through the net. The bird flew away. Before it was all the way up to the sky, it turned its head back to Auden. It seemed to say, "Thank you."

"All of that for nothing?" exclaimed Barley.

"Don't repeat a word of what happened here to anyone. I'm not supposed to show remorse.:

"I wouldn't dare."

* * *

><p>Amethyst re-entered the main control room in the Gamemaker Center. She went over to the weather station.<p>

"Hael. Hael!"

Hael immediately stood up. "Mrs. Emerald. How lovely to see you!"

"No time for formalities, Hael. We have to use Last Resort One."

"What?" he exclaimed.

"You heard me. Last Resort One."

"Which one is Last Resort One?"

"You know. The Last Resort we've planned for just this situation. Appolian's machine malfunctioned and he only has 32 items out of the 38 we need for Day 7. So, it's your job to activate Last Resort One. Don't activate it for another hour, but you can activate it any time after that. Got it?"

"One thing first, though. Which button do I use to activate it? I didn't actually develop Last Resort One."

"Hael."

"Yes?"

"Look at your control panel and tell me."

Hael scanned the panel.

"Oh. That big, red button that says, 'Last Resort One. Do not touch unless instructed' on it."

"Yes. Good job."

Amethyst walked away professionally. Her job was done.

"Be careful, Hael," said Appolian. "You know what happens if Amethyst gets mad."

"Yes. I know full-well."

Amethyst then went over to Daria's station.

"You got the sponsor gift ready?"

"Yeah. Because of Last Resort One, we're using special parachutes and boxes. I'll put whatever you need in the box."

"What are you sending Lisa?"

"Here. Let me show you."

Daria took something out of a box and showed it to Amethyst.

"Wow, it's really pretty. Put this in the box with it, please."

Amethyst gave Daria a note. It was folded, and on the front it said, "To be read by Lisa Brown only."

"I'll put it in right now," said Daria, who did so. "And this is what I'm sending Cyei," she said, holding up a small knife. "He didn't have enough for much else."

"Put this note in the box with his," said Amethyst, handing Daria a note that looked exactly like Lisa's, except for what it said on the front: "To be read by Cyei All only."

"I'll make sure these gifts and the notes get to them."

"Remember, the gifts do not get sent until after Last Resort is activated."

"Got it."

_Problem one solved,_ thought Amethyst. _Let's see if we can solve Problem Two by the end of the day._

* * *

><p>Brown team was having a normal day. Everyone had woken up around the time they usually did, and everyone carried out their normal morning activities. Now, the younger kids were above-decks, Conall was steering, and Lisa &amp; Alex were discussing things above-decks.<p>

"Hey, Conall," Alex called to him. "Any clue where we are?"

"Middle of the ocean. That's all I really know."

"Duh."

Suddenly, dark clouds began to gather on the horizon.

"What's that?" asked Mason.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Don't worry," replied Conall.

Life on the brown team continued as usual. Alex and Lisa went back above-decks with the rest of their team. Nobody noticed the wind pick up and the sky darken. The brown team also failed to notice the wind blow the trapdoor shut.

"Lisa?" said Mason.

"Yes, honey?"

"I just felt a drip."

Lisa looked up. The sky was extremely gray – a dark gray, nearing black.

"Oh, no."

The heavens opened up.

"Help, Lisa!" yelled Kendyll, who was flung against the side of the ship.

"I'm trying to get to you!" Lisa responded. "But I'm having trouble getting through the rain!"

The wind was blowing like crazy. Lightning struck. Thunder cracked. The sea was incredibly rocky. It was the perfect storm.

"Alex, can you get to the trapdoor?" Lisa yelled over the storm.

"Let me try," he yelled back.

Alex crawled over to the trapdoor. "It's closed, and seemingly stuck."

"Keep trying."

"Lisa!" yelled Mason. The wind had flung him overboard. He was hanging onto the railing of the ship by one hand. Conall ran to Mason and grabbed his hand.

"I won't let go, Mason"

Conall tried to pull Mason back onto the deck, but the rain was coming down so hard that it was impairing Conall's vision and strength.

"Alex. Come over here and help me out. Kendyll, hit the deck. Lisa, try to get the trapdoor open," Conall commanded. Everyone followed his direction. Alex went over to Conall. The two began to pull, but their hands were slipping off of Mason's arm, which was just as slippery.

"Grab onto my arm," said Conall. Mason did so.

The wind whipped around. Mason's body, at the complete mercy of the wind, looked like a limp dishtowel on a clothesline.

"We're pulling against the wind!" Alex yelled to Conall.

"Don't give up!" Conall yelled back.

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew. Mason was ripped from the boys' grasp.

"No!" yelled Alex. He tried to grab Mason again, but to no avail. The child fell into the sea, too far away to save him.

"We lost him," Alex said in disbelief.

"At least we tried to save him."

"Got it open!" exclaimed Lisa.

"You guys go down. I'll steer the ship," replied Conall.

Suddenly, a parachute dropped down and landed on the stairs leading below-decks.

The three ran down. Lisa took the parachute and opened the box attached to it. Inside was a note and a locket. Lisa opened the locket first. In it was a picture of her and her family.

"Alex, Kendyll, look at this!"

"That's so pretty! How did the Gamemakers find it?"

"I don't know."

Then, she took the note out of the box.

"To be read by Lisa Brown only," she read from the front of the note. I guess I'll go into my room and take a look at this," she said.

Lisa went into her room and opened up the note. It read:

_Lisa,_

_I have some interesting news for you. Alain has not died. She is currently alive and in a tube that simulates a realistic environment. Now, her life will rest on your shoulders. Should you survive these Games, she will be allowed to live. If you don't, she will not. I wish you the best of luck._

_Amethyst Emerald, Head Gamemaker_

"Oh," she said to herself. "Now I have two reasons to survive: Alain, and Holly."

* * *

><p>Eagle was on the deck of the red team's ship, steering the ship around the storm – or, at least attempting to. Clipped to his pants was a waterproof walkie-talkie. Below-decks, Smash and Crash were huddled together in their room, holding the other walkie-talkie.<p>

"I don't like this storm," said Smash.

"I agree," her brother replied. "But I think it could be worse."

Suddenly, from the heavens, Amethyst Emerald's voice could be heard. Even though Smash and Crash were below-decks, they could still hear her loud and clear.

"Tributes!" she announced. "It seems that we have a malfunction with one of our weather panels. I'm sure you can feel the result, this storm. We do not know how long it will take us to fix his problem, or what we can do to do so. However, we have set up a safe zone for you in the center of the Arena. Any of you can go to the safe zone. You will be able to bring your ship directly into the safe zone, so you'll be able to take weapons and put them back on the ship or leave weapons on the ship and get them later. You are not required to go to the safe zone, but we advise it, because we don't know how bad this storm is going to get. Good luck."

Smash picked up the walkie-talkie.

"What do you think? Over."

"I think it sounds like a safe bet. Over," replied Eagle.

"I just want to get out of the storm. Over," added Crash.

Suddenly, the ship lurched. Crash and Smash were flung into the wall.

"Go quickly. Over."

Smash and Crash held hands. They looked at each other, and felt a new bond form.

The drum roll of rain continued to fall on the deck.

"Have you ever noticed that rain makes a really soothing sound?" said Smash.

"Not really, no," replied Crash. "This doesn't sound really relaxing to me!"

"But this is thunder AND lightning AND rain. Rain is really pretty alone."

"I've never really listened to it. Remind me to sometime, when we get home."

"IF we get home."

"No, when we get home. I'm going to do my best to get both of us home."

"It'll be hard, though."

"I bet we can do it."

Suddenly, the rain stopped.

"We must be at the safe house."

"Let's go above-decks and see."

The two went above-decks and found themselves in a covered area where their ship had docked. The walls and ceiling were all painted red. Behind their ship, a door slid shut.

"Well, I guess we're safe now," said Smash.

"The safe house was surprisingly close to where we were. Wanna go explore?" asked Eagle.

"Sure!" said the twins. They went out a door opposite where they came in.

The area where they were was pretty nice. It was a five-level circular structure. Spaced out around the first level, where they were at that point, were ten colored doors, one for each team.

"Guys. Come back with me," Crash said urgently, pulling his teammates back through the red door.

"What's the problem?" asked Eagle as soon as they were all through their door.

"We're complete idiots," replied Crash.

"Why are you calling me an idiot? I thought we were friends!" exclaimed Smash.

"Let him explain," consoled Eagle.

"Think about this. The Gamemaker Center has the tightest security and the best systems in Panem. There is NO WAY that there would be any possibility for even one button to malfunction. Also, even if they did malfunction, I can't imagine that they'd set up a safe haven for us because that would be a good challenge for us."

"What are you saying?" asked Smash.

"What I'm saying is, we just walked right into a trap."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, what do you think? I had hoped to get this chapter up this past Thursday, but I didn't have a plan for the chapter until Wednesday. Whoops.<strong>

**Oh, bonus points to anyone who can tell me where the part of Viktor and Leia's exchange that is in brackets is loosely taken from.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one may take longer, because between yesterday and two weeks from yesterday I lose seven days of writing time thanks to the Jewish holiday of Passover. Speaking of which, חג כשר ושמח, a Happy, Healthy Passover, to anyone who is celebrating it.**

**Please review! It really makes my day! Oh, and vote on the poll on my profile page as well, please!**

**-goldie031**


	47. Day 6, Part 2: Alliances

Hi everyone!

I know I haven't been writing a pre-chapter A/N lately, but I wanted to be able to explain the new setting without being hindered by the POV of a tribute.

As was said last chapter, the tributes are in a five-level circular structure. On the first level, there are ten colored doors, one for each team, evenly spaced out. Other than the first floor, every floor has a balcony that, looking down from it, you can see the first floor. Of course there is stuff on each floor other than the balcony...

More for your alignment, the doors are arranged as follows, going clockwise: red at twelve o'clock, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple at six o'clock, pink, black, white, brown. I've divided the teams (and therefore their doors) into two groups: from brown to green (red, orange, yellow, green, brown), and from blue to white (blue, purple, pink, black, white). Last chapter, we saw the first half, brown to green, so this chapter, we will definitely see from blue to white. Other than that... well, you'll have to see!

* * *

><p>Moss steered the pink team's ship carefully into their docking area. The walls and ceiling were all pink. A pink door came down behind them. Moss was reminded of something called a garage.<p>

"Guys, we're safe! Come on out."

Lambell and Xander came up from below-decks first. Lambell's eyes widened. "Lots of pink," she said.

"I know," replied Moss. "It's like I'm looking through rose-colored glasses."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Next, Toby came up.

"Nice steering, brother!"

"I'm used to water like that from home. I used to go fishing with Dad. One time, we got stuck outside while we were fishing and ran into a massive storm, much like this one. I managed to steer our boat back to shore without a problem."

"I don't remember that."

"I was soaked!"

Last to emerge were Maybell and Lila. Both were amazed by the room.

"Xander, are you OK?" asked Lila.

"I wanna get out of here!"

"Why?"

"I just have a bad feeling. Get me out!"

"Let's try to open the garage door," said Moss. He, Maybell, and Toby began to try to pull the garage door open from the bottom, but to no avail. "It's locked."

"The best thing would be to go out that pink door over there and see what's going on. Maybe Xander will feel better that way."

"It's worth a shot," replied Lila.

The six remaining members of pink team opened up their door. They saw a bunch of other colored doors. To their left was purple team's door, and to the right, black team's door. Around the room, other tributes were with their teams, trying to figure out their surroundings.

"Keep your eyes out," said Moss. "There are a lot of tributes here, and a lot of them are Careers. Stay with an older tribute. Lila, stay with Xander, Maybell with Lambell, and I'll stay with Toby. Make sure that, if we get separated, we stay together. If you get lost, go back here, all right?"

Everyone nodded.

_I've got a really bad feeling about today, _thought Maybell. _Especially for the younger kids on our team. Lambell is not getting out of my sight._

* * *

><p>White team was on the second level's balcony. Amber, as it turned out, was prone to seasickness.<p>

"She looks positively green," said Cyei to Acacia.

"I know," replied Acacia. "I don't know how they'll get sponsor gifts to her, so she might be like this for a while. Go amuse yourself, and I'll stay with Amber until she gets better..."

"If she gets better."

"She will."

Cyei checked his belt. He had six knives.

"All right. I might stop by the ship again for a bit."

"That's fine. Just be a little careful, although I don't think you'll have a problem. And if you stop by the ship, can you get me a towel?"

"Sure."

Cyei turned his back on Acacia. Then, he took out his sheet of smiley stickers and put one on the handle of each knife. He thought about the letter he'd received before they'd entered the safe zone:

_Cyei,_

_I have some interesting news for you. Danny has not died. He is currently alive and in a tube that simulates a realistic environment. Now, his life will rest on your shoulders. Should you survive these Games, he will be allowed to live. If you don't, he will not. I wish you the best of luck._

_Amethyst Emerald, Head Gamemaker_

Cyei knew that, if he died, he'd backhandedly get a kill. He would go down today, but not without leaving his mark.

"Ready to go," he murmured. He walked along the balcony, until he saw a cluster of people on the ground floor. They seemed to be looking at something that the middle one was holding.

Cyei sized up the cluster. The three closest to him were all easy targets. He took out three knives and fired them in quick succession, then ducked down, behind a doorpost, away from view.

"Lambell! Lila! Xander!" he heard. Peeking back around the doorpost, he saw one of the older tributes, who was wearing a pink shirt, bent over the three he'd hit.

_If I remember correctly, pink team had three people left, _thought Cyei. _I just knocked out half a team._

* * *

><p>Moss bent over his younger teammates. "Maybell, go get medical supplies," he commanded. She nodded and ran back to the pink door.<p>

"Stay with me, stay with me!" he whispered. He stood over Lila and gave her CPR.

"Moss?"

"Yes, Toby?"

"Don't you think we should move them out from plain sight?"

"Good idea. Come and help me move their bodies."

Toby picked up Xander. "How long do you think they'll last?"

"Not sure. I don't think they'll make it to tomorrow, though. It kills me to say it, because I've gotten so close to them."

"We should stay with them until the end."

"Yes, we should."

Maybell ran back. "There are these bandages on the ship, but not much else, and nothing that would help us."

"All right," said Moss. He was sounding a bit depressed.

Moss took the knife out of Xander's back.

"What are you doing?" screamed Maybell as blood began to spurt.

"I want to look at the wound."

"Why?"

"Because this way we can see if (a) it's fixable and (b) how to patch it up. If it's not fixable, then at least we may be able to figure out what exactly caused it and how to prevent something similar in the future."

"All right."

Moss looked at the handle of the knife. "It has a smiley face sticker on the handle. Toby, check the knives in Lila and Lambell's backs." Toby did. Sure enough, both had smiley face stickers on the handles.

"Who would have done this?"

"No clue."

Moss then took the shirt off of Xander. Blood came pouring out. The young boy was unconscious.

"I think they're done for," solemnly said Toby.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

"Come on," said Maybell. The three went into the room where their ship was. They entered another door that they hadn't noticed before, and found themselves in a stairwell.

"Let's explore!" exclaimed Toby. He dashed up the stairs, and his older teammates followed.

* * *

><p>"Wow, there's a lot to explore here," said Cassie. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.<p>

"I know. Five whole floors!" exclaimed Apollo.

"And all the tributes are here," said Shine with a bloodthirsty look in her eye. "Mucho kills."

"OK, I have an idea," said Tyranny. "Let's split up!"

"Split up?!" exclaimed her teammates. "Are you crazy?!"

"No, I'm not. Listen to me. We can cover more ground this way. I'll go with Cassie, and Shine, you go with Apollo. We'll split up and meet back at our ship in 20 minutes. Sound good?"

"No," said Shine. "That's the dumbest idea. Without both of us, we're much more vulnerable."

"That's why you're going with Apollo and I'm going with Cassie. It'll protect them better. Because you and I both know, Shine, that we're incredible Careers. We can easily protect one little kid each."

"WE ARE NOT LITTLE!" exclaimed Apollo and Cassie.

"All right, I guess we can split up," Shine said to Tyranny. "You and Cassie cover floors 3 and 5, and Apollo and I will cover 2 and 4. We'll meet up in 20 minutes at our door. Fair?"

"Fine."

BOOM!

"Whose cannon was that?" asked Shine.

"No idea," said Tyranny. "Let's just keep up with our plan. Good luck, Shine."

"You, too."

The four went back into the room with their ship, and then headed up the stairs. Apollo and Shine went through the door that said "2", while Tyranny and Cassie went through the door that said "3".

"Ready to explore?" he asked.

"Of course," said Tyranny.

* * *

><p>Blue team was walking around the third balcony. They were trying to get a sense of the new setting.<p>

Suddenly, they saw two purple shirts across the way. Everyone immediately ran behind Sen.

"Why are you all hiding behind ME?"

"Because you're the oldest on our team," Trinity replied matter-of-factly.

The four members of blue team slowly creeped towards the members of purple team. Sen bravely led the way, until he and Tyranny were face to face.

"I won't hurt you," said Sen, "if you don't hurt me."

"All right," said Tyranny. "I wasn't planning on it.

Trinity and Marianne caught a glimpse of a girl behind Tyranny. The two ran over to her.

"Hi, I'm Trinity, and this is my cousin, Marianne."

"Hi, I'm Cassie," replied the girl.

The three girls fell into a conversation. Meanwhile, Tyranny began to talk to Sen.

"Where are you from?" asked Tyranny.

"Nine," replied Sen. "I'm a child of the streets. My parents were killed when I was young, so I've had to fend for myself, and not always in the most moral ways."

"That's so sad!"

"What's your life like in One?"

"Well, I'm a trained Career. I'm also the youngest, and I have four older brothers, so I've always been very competitive. I'm not really your TYPICAL Career, though."

"Well, a regular Career would have already killed me."

Suddenly, two knives flew from out of nowhere. One hit Cassie and one hit Sen.

Darren whipped his head around. He caught a glimpse of a white shirt disappear behind a doorpost.

"Oh, no," said Trinity.

Tyranny immediately bent over Sen. She began to examine his wound.

"Mortal," she proclaimed. "It hit him in the back."

Marianne bent down next to Sen; she looked at the knife.

"Look, there's a smiley face on the handle," she said.

"You're right," said Trinity, bending down beside her cousin. "I wonder what that means."

BOOM BOOM!

"Check the knife in Cassie's back, too," said Tyranny. Trinity did so, and sure enough, there was a smiley face sticker there too.

"I'm going to guess that the two of them were killed by the same person," said Trinity.

"Good guess," said Tyranny sarcastically.

Suddenly, a boy in a black shirt appeared out of seemingly nowhere. Tyranny recognized him.

"Hey, Mars! How've you been?"

"Hi, Tyranny. Not so great. We just lost another team member."

"We?"

"Asa and I," said Mars, motioning to a shortish boy with scruffy black hair. "Asa's from 11. He's mute."

"What happened?" Trinity asked naively.

"Well, Belle, Asa, and I were walking around the second floor balcony. All of us were minding our own business, when, all of a sudden, a knife flew into Belle's heart. She fell backwards. I desperately tried to save her, but to no avail. There was a smiley face sticker on the handle of the knife, but other than that, I couldn't tell much about the murderer, other than the fact that I saw a golden curl disappear behind a doorpost."

"Hm. That's odd," said Tyranny. "Pretty much the same thing happened to us, except that the knives came from the back. Darren Catalyst and Apollo Mariner from 3 got hit. Did anyone notice anything about the murderer?" she asked the members of purple and blue team.

"I did," Sen spoke up. "I saw a bit of a white shirt."

"OK," said Tyranny. "Who from white team has golden curls?"

Everyone thought for a moment. Suddenly, Trinity exclaimed, "Cyei!"

"I think she's right," said Tyranny.

"That means we have to take him down," said Mars.

"But how?" asked Trinity. "He's much stronger."

"We're gonna need some help," replied Mars. "Tyranny, can you go find Auden and Goldstar and tell them to look out for Cyei. Then, go out, find the rest of your team and meet us by my team's door. OK?"

"Got it," said Tyranny.

"Blue team, go find the rest of Cyei's team. Ask them what they want to do about Cyei."

"What are you going to do?" asked Marianne.

"I'm going to investigate the other three cannons with Asa. Everyone meet up in 10 minutes at black team's door. I have a plan.

* * *

><p>"Good job, everyone! We got them down!" exclaimed Amethyst. "Nice work!"<p>

"I'm glad that worked," said Hael.

"Now, remember, when we hit 6 o'clock, let the gas out. Also, if they go down to 24, send out the gas even if it's not 6 yet. got it, Hael?"

"Yes."

"Now, Amber."

"Yes?" said Amber, looking up from her station.

"I need to talk to you about the transition."

Amethyst and her younger sister walked over to a room where there was a conveyor belt. Amber stood over the belt, and Amethyst began to instruct her younger sister.

"All right, Amber. In a few minutes, we're going to hovercraft you over to the Arena. The safe zone is moving slowly over to where this transition needs to happen. Once the sleep gas is activated, the ground crews will come into the Arena. They'll move the tributes onto the conveyor belt. Then, it's your turn."

The conveyor belt activated, and a dummy rolled up in front of Amber."

"Your job will be to change each tribute's arena outfit. It's very easy. Each tribute has been given a pack. Let's use Cassie's as an example. This dummy is about the size of Cassie. All you need to do is strip the tribute, put on the new shirt jacket, pants, and sneakers, and then put the watch on. Now, make sure that the watch is tight. We'll have the tributes make sure they're clasped completely it the morning. Try it."

Amber quickly changed the dummy.

"Good job. Now, once that's done, just press the button, and the next tribute will roll up. The other GC will take it from there."

"That's easy enough."

"Now, come with me and we'll get you over to the Arena."

* * *

><p><em>Ten Minutes Later...<em>

"All right!" Mars yelled. "All of us are here, united for one purpose: to knock Cyei All out of these Games." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now, here, we have five teams. Shine Scott from 7, Tyranny Bomber from 1, and Apollo Mariner from 3 are on purple team. Trinity and Marianne Belle, from 8 and 11, respectively, and Darren Catalyst, also from 3, are on blue team. Acacia Andalu from 2 and Amber Elmore from 7 are on white team. Moss and Toby Darya from 4 and Maybell Flince from 9 are on pink team. Asa Benedict from 11 and I, Mars Pyross from 1, are on black team.

"I have formulated a plan that I think will work. Here's the plan:

"We will be divided into 5 groups. Each will have one Career, one older tribute, and one younger tribute. Group 1 is Moss and Toby. Group 2 is Shine and Apollo. Group 3 is Tyranny, Trinity, and Marianne. Group 4 is Acacia, Amber, and Darren. And Group 5 is Asa and I. Any problems so far?"

"Yes," said Acacia. "Amber is stuck at our ship. She got awfully seasick."

"OK, so you can just go with Sen. Now, each group will take their floor, so Group 1 will take floor one, etc. Keep an eye out for Cyei. If you see him, knock him out. We will hope that any cannon we hear is his. If either one of your teammates dies or Cyei dies, go back here. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes. OK?" Everyone nodded.

"One more thing. Tyranny has notified Goldstar McQueen and Auden Walters, both from 1, about the situation. If either of them sees Cyei, they'll notify the team on that floor. Now, GO GET CYEI!"

Everyone rushed off to find a stairway to get to their floor. There was a sense of urgency; everyone wanted nothing less than to knock him out.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, red team was on the second floor. Smash had opened a door and found a bunch of targets. Now, she was doing target practice with her team.<p>

"Crash. You want to hit the MIDDLE of the target, not the wall behind you."

"I'm not good with long range!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, but the knife should at least go forwards."

BOOM!

"Who was that?"

"Beats me. Let's keep going."

Crash threw another knife. This time, it hit the ceiling, just in front of where Crash was."

"Well, at least it went forward," Smash sighed. This was hopeless.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door. She turned around, and found a little girl with dark brown, curly hair and dark green eyes standing there.

"What's your name?" asked Smash. She saw the girl's white jacket, so, deducing that the young girl was from One, Shine drew a knife.

"Auden Walters, District One. You?"

"Smash Hatch, District 2. What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you could work on some knife practice with me."

"Sure!"

Auden entered the room. She took out a knife and aimed at the target.

FLICK!

"So, where's your team?"

"I left them at my ship. The older boy on my team, Thad Wellington..."

"From Two."

"Yeah. Anyway, he went into a depression of sorts when Whisper died, and now he's useless. So, I left my other teammate, Barley Harrison from 9, behind with him."

From the doorway, Shine's eyes lit up. She motioned to Apollo, and the two snuck off.

"Hey, Eagle, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. I'm good with an axe, because I'm from Seven, but knives are lighter, so they take a bit more getting used to. It's not so hard, though."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"I wonder who that was," said Auden.

The four continued to work on knife work. Suddenly, two more tributes appeared at the door. Both were wearing yellow shirts. The younger, a girl, had knotted golden hair and blue eyes, while the older boy had bronze hair and brown eyes. Auden recognized the younger girl.

"Hi, Goldstar!"

"Hey, Auden. How's it going?"

"Pretty well, pretty well. What brings you here?"

"Well, we were walking around the fourth floor when we ran into Acacia from 2 and Darren from 3. I just wanted a peaceful crossing, but before I could do anything, there was a knife in Candella's back. I immediately drew my knife, and we started to circle each other. Eventually, we got away from each other. I was right by a staircase, so I headed down to this floor and found this room. Anyways, I have an idea."

The four younger tributes sat in a circle. Meanwhile, Quiinn and Eagle stood to the side. They wanted NOTHING to do with what the younger kids were planning.

"What's your plan, Goldstar?"

"Well, have you heard about the Cyei situation?"

"I have," said Auden. "Tyranny told me about it."

"I have no clue what you're talking about," said Smash, " and neither does Crash. Clue us in?"

"Well, there's this little boy from 5 named Cyei All," began Goldstar. "And I promise you. If he had been born in a Career district, he would have gone into these Games without a doubt. This kid has this annoying tendency to sneak up, flick a knife, mortally wound someone, and just get out."

A knife flew in. It hit Eagle smack in the back.

"Like that?" asked Smash.

"Bingo. His telltale sign is a smiley face on the knife's handle."

The four younger tributes ran over to Eagle. Sure enough, there was a smiley face on the handle of the knife. Blood was gushing everywhere.

"Do you think he'll make it?" Auden naively asked Quiinn.

"Doubt it," he replied. "The wound is mortal."

BOOM!

"That's what I was saying," said Goldstar. "So, there's this five team alliance trying to knock Cyei down. Purple, pink, blue, black, and white have all teamed up. Tyranny asked me and Auden to look out for Cyei, and to notify anyone on those three teams about him. But, he's so sneaky, it's so difficult to see him. But I might have a way to get him."

"What is it?" exclaimed Smash.

"Two words: Career pack."

"Hm. I didn't think of that," said Auden. "But us four working together could actually be a very strong combination. I mean, we're all trained."

"Yes," said Goldstar. "And here's what sets us apart. The five-team alliance was split into five groups. Each group has ONLY ONE CAREER. With us four teamed up, we have so much more power. If we can surround him, he's gone."

"But we have to be careful," replied Auden. "He can sneak out from someone's grasp. Smash, Crash, what do you think?"

"I like this idea," said Smash. "I like it a lot. We could be unstoppable. But what are we going to do about Quiinn?"

"Let's just leave him here. Or he can come to supervise."

"What do you want to do, Quiinn?"

"I'll come with you jokers. I don't want you getting into too much trouble."

"Come on!" exclaimed Auden. She was now in a very adventurous mood, and the five set out.

* * *

><p>The five-team alliance met up back at black team's door.<p>

"Did anyone have any luck?" asked Mars?

Nobody spoke up.

"Well, come on! Someone's got to knock this kid out. Go out for another half an hour and let's see if we can do this. Stay with your groups, but your floors don't matter. Just GET HIM!"

Mars was getting personally infuriated at that point. When he was determined, he was DETERMINED. And he wanted that annoying little kid gone. Asa and Mars headed back to the fifth floor.

"Do you think we can actually do this?" wrote Asa in his notebook. "He's tough."

"Let me see if we can find Goldstar," said Mars. "She's our best bet."

The two went down to the second floor, on a whim, and, sure enough, they found yellow-shirted Goldstar there, along with the rest of her mini-Career pack.

"How's your quest for Cyei going?" asked Mars.

"I had NO luck. We just missed him, too. We were in a room down here doing target practice when, all of a sudden, a knife flew out of nowhere and hit Eagle in the back. By the time that we got to the door, there was nobody there. He's a madman."

"Are you working with these guys?" asked Mars, motioning to Smash, Crash, Quiinn, and Auden.

"Yeah, we figured five was better than one. And four are Careers, so..."

"I guess that's a smart idea," said Mason.

"Look!" exclaimed Auden. She pointed to the fifth floor balcony, where Cyei was walking around.

"GO!" exclaimed Mars. The three raced to the nearest staircase, and the seven dashed up to the fifth floor.

Once they got there, they all split up and ran around the floor. In a matter of moments, Cyei was surrounded.

_Oh, boy, _thought Cyei. _I'm about to go down._

He checked his belt - one last knife.

"I think you're surrounded," said Mars.

"That I am," said Cyei.

"You have no choice but to surrender," said Mars.

"Not true."

Cyei chucked his knife at Asa, and jumped off the edge of the balcony.

Mars, Quiinn, Smash, and Crash ran to tend to Asa.

"Same way that everyone else died," proclaimed Mars. "Smack in the heart this time, though. Another mortal wound."

"How did Cyei know how to kill so well?"

"I don't know."

Goldstar and Auden, meanwhile, looked over the balcony.

"Well, we got him," said Auden.

"Yes, we did. Backhandedly."

Suddenly, the anthem played. All of the tributes looked up to see the following faces in the sky:

**Belle Adore, District 2**

**Thad Wellington, District 2**

**Candella Anders, District ****3**

**Amber Elmore, District 7**

**Lila Flemings, District 7**

**Xander Briant, District 7**

**Eagle Sterling, District 7**

**Cassiopea Erin Winters, District 9**

**Barley Harrison, District 9**

**Sen Arylian, District 9**

**Lambell Rose, District 10**

**Mason Samuel Kent, District 12**

"That's a lot of deaths for one day!" exclaimed Goldstar.

"Yeah," said Auden. Then, she yawned suddenly. "Do you feel sleepy?"

"Yeah (yawn), now that you mention it, I do feel sleepy."

Goldstar and Auden curled up by the edge of the balcony. Before they knew it, they were both asleep.

The rest of the tributes slowly followed suit.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, what do you think of this super-long chapter? I had wanted to get it up sooner, but I'm still regrouping from Passover. Anyways, I know there were a lot of deaths this chapter, but I did so because of what will happen the next day. <strong>

**I'm so sorry if your tribute died. In actuality, choosing deaths has become much harder, as I have become attached to each and every tribute. I can't imagine having this story without any one of them.**

**Now, one big note. If you have a tribute that is still alive in this story (a list can be found on my profile), please either review or shoot me a PM letting me know that you're still reading. This will show me that you're still reading and will increase the chances of your tribute's survival. If you didn't submit a tribute or you don't have one alive, please review anyways. I really like reviews.**

**Next chapter is family interviews, and then the games continue into Phase 2! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**-goldie031**


	48. Interviews, Part 1

The stage in the Capitol was set with a chair for Caesar and a couch for the families of the tributes. Everything was ready for the interviews of the tributes' friends and family.

Caesar Flickerman came out on stage. He was met with cheers from the Capitol audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the interviews of the friends and family of our remaining tributes!"

The crowd continued to cheer. Caesar continued, "Here is how this will work. We will go in the same order that we did for the initial interviews: in other of district, then by age, then gender. So, just follow along with me. First up, the family of Auden Walters!"

Auden's large family came out onto the stage. The nine of them settled onto the couch.

"Wow, there are a lot of you! Auden told me about you, but I didn't really believe it."

"I believe in a family that truly prospers," said Auden's mother.

"First of all, Ms. Walters, can you introduce me to your family?"

"Sure. This is Claudio, who is 23, then Devon, 21, and Laurent is 19. Antonion is 17, Maya and Mia are 16, and the youngest is Thalia, 12."

"Just for the kids, do you like having a lot of siblings?"

"Well," began Thalia, "I'm the youngest right now, and I was the youngest for seven years. So I had a lot of older siblings to help me learn how to be a good person and a good Career."

"So ALL of you are trained?"

"Yes," said Laurent. "We all started a week after our fifth birthdays. Auden had only been training for a few months."

"Devon, what did you think when Auden came along?"

"As the baby of the family, Auden got a lot of love from both of our parents. In fact, she was our parents' favorite. We didn't get a lot of attention after that. So we banded together. We all had to help Thalia out, because she was so used to being the baby."

"Was Auden a cute baby?"

"Oh, definitely," said Antonion. "She was precious."

"What has happened since Auden left?"

"Mom and Dad were a bit worried about her, but now they know she'll be OK. My siblings and I have gotten ad little mor attention as well, which is nice," answered Maya.

"We were also able to tell our parents how we feel about their favoritism. Before Auden was born, our parents never picked a favorite. Each of us was treated equally. Now, Auden is their favorite, and it got to us. So, while Auden has been gone, we worked out a policy to make things bette," Mis chimed in.

"Would you want Auden back?"

"Initially, I think we would have said 'No'. But, I do miss Auden around the house. So yes, we would want Auden back," Claudio answered for his siblings.

"Well, thank you, Walters family, for being here!"

Auden's large family left the stage to cheers.

* * *

><p>"Now, let's welcome the partners and friends of Goldstar MacQueen!"<p>

Goldstar's mother and father come onto the stage, along with Godstar's two friends, Sugar Lee and Velvet.

"Welcome, Diamond, Satin, Sugar Lee, and Velvet; it is so nice to have you here."

"Trust me," said Satin, "we are very glad to be here."

Let me start with Diamond. You were always around your daughter before the Games. What did you think when she volunteered?"

"I was petrified for my baby girl. She is my only child; I couldn't bear the thought of losing her."

"Did she tell you why she volunteered?"

"All she told me was that she wanted more of her father's attention."

"Satin, did your daughter catch your attention?"

"Certainly. I never knew she felt that way. I'll definitely pay more attention to her now."

"What has surprised you about Goldstar?"

"She has turned into a much fiercer child than we ever imagined she could be."

"Did you know that she was training with knives? Did she go to the Career Academy?"

"Well, almost everyone in One goes to the Career Academy. I just didn't know she was so good with knives," answered Diamond.

"Sugar Lee, you are Goldstar's best friend, yes?"

"Yes."

"What did you think when she volunteered?"

"I was scared for her. I didn't think she'd have the ability to hold up against the older tributes. I was wrong."

"Velvet, what did you think when Goldstar volunteered?"

"I didn't think much of it. I've always gone along with what she does, so it didn't really make a difference. I trust that she knows what she's doing."

"If you could say anything to Goldstar, what would it be?"

"Keep your guard up. There are many older, stronger tributes, who want to see you dead," answered Diamond.

"And that we love you," added Satin.

"Thank you, Diamond, Satin, Sugar Lee, and Velvet!"

* * *

><p>As Goldstar's family and friends left the stage, Mars's parents came on.<p>

"Hello, Nelly and Viktor. It is so nice to have you here."

"It's great to be here," replied Viktor.

"Viktor, you have been training Mars, correct?"

"Yes. We have not only trained him in weapons, but also to discover weaknesses. Mars is one of the most observant tributes in the Games."

"How long have you trained him?"

"Since he was 5. Most children in One begin at that time."

"Did you expect him to be reaped?"

"There was always the chance, but I didn't expect it to happen."

"Would Mars have ended up in the Games anyway, when he got older?"

"You can't say yes or no. The future can be complicated. You never know what can happen."

"I can assume that you would have prepared him for the Games anyway."

"Of course."

"If you could tell Mars one thing, what would it be?"

"Don't forget to look for weaknesses. Remember that the older tributes are stronger than you, but you can sneak around them," answered Viktor.

"And we love you," said Nelly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Nelly and Viktor Pyrros!"

Applause followed the two offstage.

* * *

><p>"Next up, the family and best friend of Tyranny Bomber!"<p>

Tyranny's mother, father, four brothers, and Eric, her best friend, came onstage and sat on the couch.

"Welcome! It's so great to have you here."

"It's great to be here," said Rita, Tyranny's mother.

"So, I have to start with the four brothers. All of you are older than Tyranny?"

"Yes," answered one of the boys, presumably the oldest. "I'm Carta. I'm 23, Sean is 22, Nolan is 20, and Grant is 19. Eric over there isn't related to us; he is only 17."

"Was Tyranny the little princess of the bunch when she was little?"

Dred, Tyranny's father, answered, "That was the intention. She was always in these little foofy dresses and stuff. The problem was, she had four big brothers. When she was born, Sean and Carta were beginning to train, so they just wanted to beat their little siblings up. So Tyranny ended up being a major tomboy growing up."

"Rita, did you want her to be a girly girl?"

"Yes, but I knew it would be difficult because of her four older brothers."

"Did she come along because you desperately wanted a girl?"

"Yeah. If Nolan had been a girl, I think that we would have stopped there."

"So you wanted 3 kids, one boy and one girl."

"Not necessarily. We wanted at least one boy and one girl, but we didn't have a set number."

"OK, let's go back to Tyranny's training. Did you see potential early on?"

"Well, remember, Tyranny had to fend off four older brothers when she was younger. So she was naturally tough. I sort of figured she'd end up in the Games eventually," answered Rita.

"How long did you train her?"

"Most kids start at age five, as did all of our kids," answered Dred. "Some start at 11, but most start at 5."

"Did you all train your kids together?"

"Well, we tried to. But Carta was 11 when Tyranny was 5, so it didn't work."

"Did you even train them?"

"I didn't train them myself. But we have a lot of Victors in the family, so each got a kid to train. Tyranny was mainly trained by one of her cousins."

"What changes did you see in Tyranny when she started training?"

Carta spoke up. "Tyranny was really kicked around as a little kid. One time, Sean and I wrapped her in bubble wrap and used her as a football, which resulted in a three-week grounding from our parents. But, when she started training, she actually held her own against her big brothers. She could find pressure points really well."

"Tyranny advanced faster than the rest of us," said Sean. "It made us really nervous."

"Eric, when did you meet Tyranny?"

"Tyranny began training at the Career academy when she was seven, because her family could do no more to train her. We were in the same training group, but we weren't training partners, because boys are never paired with girls."

"And you are a bodybuilder, correct, Eric?"

"Yes."

"How did that affect the relationship between you and Tyranny?"

"Not at all, actually. Tyranny just accepted me for who I was. She didn't think much of it."

"Rita, you've been the main female in Tyranny's life. How has that affected your relationship?"

"Not much at all. Tyranny did need a female figure in her life, and I provided that for her. But she was a tomboy, while I was a girly girl when I was growing up. It took me a little while to adjust to Tyranny, but she has turned one of my closest friends."

"Were you responsible for the foofy dresses?"

"Yeah. Tyranny was more of a mommy's girl than a daddy's girl. Up until about age 5, she wore foofy dresses all the time. The problem when she turned 5 was that she began to train, and foofy dresses don't go well with training."

"Dred, what did you see in Tyranny when she began training?"

"Potential. That's what I saw. Tyranny had star potential. I had confidence in her."

"Now, let's flash-forward to reaping day. Dred, did you expect her to volunteer?"

"Yes. Without a doubt. I actually told her she could, and she jumped at the chance."

"She was that eager?"

"Yes."

"Brothers, what were your reactions?"

"Well," began Nolan, "I was not surprised either. She is strong, and will win."

"Periodically during the Games, we've seen her hold her wrist close to her forehead. Can you tell us about that?"

"During the goodbyes, I gave Tyranny a tattoo. It says, 'I am...'. Whenever Tyranny is having trouble, she can just press it to her forehead and whisper whatever she needs to help herself."

"That's not much of a token."

"But I think it's helped her. She is doing strongly," said Dred.

"Eric, what did you tell Tyranny?"

"I told her to be careful. But, knowing Tyranny, she really is never careful. She can never turn down a challenge."

"That is very true. Rita, what advice did you give Tyranny?"

"Just to stay strong and do what she's always done."

"I think that's a great way to end your interview. Thank you, Bombers and Eric!"

The audience applauded as Tyranny's friend and family left the stage.

"We're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll meet the families of the tributes from Two, Three, and Four!"

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, goodness. This chapter took way too long, and I'm sorry for that. But I have a good excuse this time! My school play is on Sunday, and I've had rehearsals practically every day. Naturally, that reduces my ability to write. On the bright side, I have about 80 percent of next chapter wrspread already. So that's good.<strong>

**I hope you like the inside look into some of the remaining tributes' families' opinions. The rest of the chapters will be coming soon!**

**Oh, if some of you could go onto my profile and fill the form that's on there, I'd really appreciate it!**

**-goldie031**


	49. Interviews, Part 2

"Welcome back to the final 24 interviews!" The crowd cheered. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the parents of Smash and Crash Hatch!"

Ember and Stallion Hatch walked onto the stage. Many Capitol citizens could remember their victories in their Games.

"It is so nice to see you again, Ember and Stallion," said Caesar, a little too graciously. "I remember interviewing each of you before and after your Games, and now I get to interview you for your children's Games."

"We're both glad to be here," said Ember.

"Now, I know you both are desperate for your children to be Victors. What was your reaction when your daughter was reaped and your son volunteered?"

"Well, we were initially very scared," said Ember. "We had a plan for Smash to volunteer and win at 17 and Crash to volunteer and win at 18. I was a bit scared when they were Reaped. But then, we realized that both children are incredibly well-trained. We also knew that they would have three additional days of training before the Games. So, though we had initial worries, we knew that they could, and will, win."

"We all know that you favored Smash over Crash. Do you think that was a wise choice, and has anything happened over the course of the Games that has change your mind?"

"To be honest," said Stallion, "picking a favorite was probably a bad idea. The thing is, Smash was more open to criticism. She, therefore, improved faster. Crash, however, didn't take criticism as well, so we couldn't get through to him as easily. Because Smash improved faster, we could teach her more, so she became our favorite."

"Crash has proven himself though," added Ember. "He has, what, two kills or something? That's pretty good."

"Over the course of a given Games, siblings who are forced to go in together tend to grow apart. Yours have become closer. What do you think of that?"

"Smash and Crash never got along, even as little kids. When they were in the room, they even began to kick each other! If you'd show the picture..."

A picture popped up on the large screen behind Caesar, Ember, and Stallion. It showed two babies with cake all over their faces. The crowd laughed.

"This picture is from the twins' first birthday party," explained Ember. "Smash and Crash were each given a birthday cupcake. Smash wanted Crash's cupcake in addition to her own, so she took it. Crash got mad, slammed Smash's face into her cupcake, and took his back. Smash then took Crash's cupcake and slammed it into his face. We took this picture and then sent both twins into timeout."

"That's so cute!" exclaimed Caesar.

"Yes. We never expected them to get along, ever. Eagle must have been a miracle worker to get those two to get along."

"If they both survive, will Smash still be your favorite?"

"Now that there is no pressure of the Games, we will try our best to treat both children equally."

"Thank you, for being here, Ember and Stallion Hatch! And now, please welcome, Jaden Leonard and Cannibal Thomas!"

As the Hatches left the stage, two boys, one with red hair, the other with sandy brown hair, came on stage.

"Welcome, Jaden and Cannibal. You are Smash's friends, correct?"

"Yes," answered red-headed Jaden.

"What do you think of Smash?"

"She's bubbly and sweet. She's also pretty popular. We were sort of hand-chosen as her closest friends."

"Do either of you train?"

"I do," said Cannibal. "Smash, Crash, and I were at the top of our class."

"If you could give Smash any advice, what would it be?"

"Keep your guard up," replied Jaden. "Don't let anyone fool you."

"Thank you, boys. Ladies and gentlemen, Jaden and Cannibal!"

* * *

><p>"Next up, the parents and sister of Acacia Andalu!"<p>

Acacia's father, Gregory, mother, Lavadia, and sister, Tripple, came on stage.

"It is so nice to see you again, Gregory. And your family as well. It feels like just yesterday that we interviewed you about Avery."

"It's been two years," said Gregory wistfully.

"After Avery's death, were you still desperate for a Victor?"

"Actually, his death renewed our desire for a Victor, and we also wanted revenge for his death."

"Enter Acacia," said Caesar.

"Yes, exactly," said Gregory. "It came down to one or the other, Tripple or Acacia, and since Acacia is less rebellious, we chose her."

"Acacia is our last hope for a Victor," added Lavadia, "because Tripple is now too old for the Games. Acacia HAS to win."

"Tripple, you and Acacia did everything together, if I remember correctly," said Caesar. "What is it like being alone now?"

"It's been very difficult. I miss her a lot."

"Has your life changed after the reaping?"

"A little bit. Since this was my last reaping, I've been given a bit more freedom. I've been allowed to make friends, have a later curfew, and be a kid. I just wish Acacia could be here with me."

"The two of you must be very close."

"Remember when we came last time? She practically sat on my lap!"

"Do you think that she would be in your position, had you volunteered instead of her?"

"That's hard to say. We're very different, even though we're so similar. I think she would have followed the rules just like it was before the Games."

"Could you have volunteered?"

"Acacia and I could have gone into the Games together, because of the Quell twist. My parents just didn't trust me, because I'm the more rebellious of the two of us."

"I guess she could have volunteered," said her father, "but Acacia was more likely to follow our orders."

"What orders?" Caesar inquired.

"To kill the girl from One."

"Why?"

Lavadia explained, "If you watch back the footage from the 98th Games, specifically that of the Career blowup, the girl from One encouraged the Careers to turn on Avery, and she was the one who killed him."

"Do you think she had something against Avery?"

"I don't know," answer Gregory. "But we've wanted revenge since his death, and we trusted Acacia to take revenge."

"Gregory, you are a Victor. Do you think that your experience will help Acacia?"

"Of course. It runs in the family."

"Well, thank you so much for being here, Gregory, Lavadia, and Tripple Andalu!"

* * *

><p>"This next interview is a joint interview," said Caesar. "So please welcome Nicoli Mariner, the brother of Apollo Mariner, and Bolts Catalyst, the grandmother of Darren Catalyst!"<p>

Nicoli wheeled Bolts, confined to a wheelchair, out on stage. The audience continued to cheer. Nicoli placed the wheelchair between Caesar's chair and the couch, and then sat on the couch next to Bolts.

"Welcome, Bolts. It is so good to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Caesar."

"And Nicoli, welcome. I must ask, is your family originally from Four?"

"Well, yes. My paternal great-grandfather was from Four, though I never met him.."

"Let's talk about the tributes. Apollo and Darren have known each other for a long time, correct?"

"Yes. As it turns out, they were born in the same hospital," said Nicoli.

"There is only one hospital in Three," retorted Bolts.

"There were two."

"That's true."

"Both children have lost their parents, correct?"

"Well, sort of. Darren's pants are still alive, but they're morphlings. My mother died in childbirth when she had Apollo, and my father died a few months later in a factory accident. Apollo and I moved to an orphanage."

"Nicoli, When did Darren and Apollo meet?"

"It was a while ago. They were maybe three. Darren and Apollo were in the same preschool class. Apollo is very outgoing, and when he saw shy little Darren, Apollo couldn't help but take him under his wing."

"Did they have anything in common, or did their friendship surprise you?"

"It surprised me," said Bolts. "I had seen Apollo around the district, though I hadn't noticed him so much, and he was a literal fireball. That little rascal would run around the streets of the district, forcing Nicoli to chase him. He almost bowled me over once! After I really met him, though, I was amazed by how sweet he is. He's so polite back home."

"What was your reaction to the reaping? Bolts, you first."

"I was very glad that Darren's parents are morphlings, first of all. They would have been heartbroken to learn that their son was reaped! Then, when Apollo volunteered to go in WITH Darren rather than INSTEAD of Darren... that confused me."

"I mean, boys don't have the best logic," Nicoli added. "I was a little shocked that Darren was reaped, considering the odds, but anything really can happen. The fact that Apollo volunteered didn't surprise me, but I agree with Bolts: I don't get why Apollo didn't just volunteer for Darren."

"What are your takes on their teams?"

"Apollo's team was undoubtedly carried by Shine Scott. She has a whole lot of kills..."

"Eight," interjected Caesar.

"Exactly. The only other useful person was really Cassie. And you would think that the other two Careers would have been useful! But no."

"Nicoli, remember, Emmet was useless from the beginning."

"Right."

"On the other hand, Darren's team was more intent on his protection," explained Bolts. "Because he was so similar to Dek, Mica was just as intent in protecting him as she was with her brother. And Mica had a lot of control on that team."

"Nicoli," interjected Caesar, "what do you think happened to the dynamic of the silver team when Tyranny was added to the picture?"

"I think it was easier for Shine, but there really wasn't much time for them to bond as a team, because there was immediately a twist and there is an upcoming twist. And with that five-team alliance messing with them..."

"Now, one final question. Do you think that they can win?"

"Honestly," admitted Nicoli, "I don't know."

"Well, thank you, Nicoli and Bolts!"

* * *

><p>"Ending this group of interviews, please welcome Mr. Darya, the father of Toby and Moss Darya, and their friend, Brock!"<p>

Two buff, strong men came on stage. With their tan skin and sea-green eyes, their district was self-evident.

"Mr. Darya, Brock, welcome. It is so nice to have you here."

"It is wonderful to be here, Caesar."

"So, Mr. Darya-"

"Nemo. Call me Nemo."

"All right. Nemo. What do you do back home?"

"I own one of the most prestigious fish shops in the district. We do every step of the business, from fishing to drying (if necessary) to selling."

"Did the boys help you?"

"Moss did occasionally in the shop, but Toby was a bit too young. He primarily helped our fishers, like Brock."

"Correct," added Brock. "Someday, I want to have my own business, but it doesn't hurt to help Nemo before that happens."

"Very nice! So, let's begin with the reapings. Toby was reaped."

"Correct," affirmed Nemo. "And that scared me."

"So did it surprise you when Moss volunteered to help Toby, or did it make you more nervous?"

"Well, I wasn't surprised, considering how much Moss loves Toby. And I wasn't nervous for Moss, because he trained in the Career academy. But I was VERY nervous for Toby."

"Statistically, Districts 1, 2, and 4 have won more than 50% of the Games since their inception. How does that make you feel about the boys' chances?"

"Especially because we know there will be multiple Victors, I think that they have good chances on the one hand. On the other hand, there are another 7 Careers, including one who is younger than Toby with more kills than Moss and Toby combined. Problem? Possibly. But we do have to remember how devoted Moss is to Toby."

"So, in short, Nemo has no idea about either boy's chances," explained Brock.

"A critical point of this year's Games was teamwork. What did you two think of the boys' team?"

"Putting the team color aside..."

"It is hilarious that the boys were put on the pink team," interjected Brock.

"Yes. As I was saying," continued Nemo, "putting the color aside, the people on the team were exceptionally diverse and interesting. Most of the team was very sweet, especially Lila."

"Yes. Let's talk about Lila Flemings. She is since deceased, unfortunately. What was your reaction to their 'romance'?"

"Well," began Brock, "personally, Lila seemed to be a very sweet girl. But personally, I doubt her relationship with Toby would have gone anywhere. Because, if they had both survived, they would have been sent to separate districts. And plus, I am NOT ready for Toby to have a girlfriend."

"But he is growing up!" said Nemo. "And I think it's a bad thing that you are more protective of my son than I am."

"Nemo, we mentioned earlier that Moss is a Career. However, he only has one kill. And your untrained son has the same number of kills as your trained son! Does that make you nervous or annoyed at all?"

"Moss has always been on the compassionate side of Careers. He trained for self defense, not to kill, and to defend Toby. So, no, I am not upset that Moss has one kill, or that he defended know team more than fought for them."

"Is there anything you would like to say to Moss and Toby?"

"Just keep your eyes out, boys," insisted Nemo. "Careers tend to have pretty large bulls-eyes on their backs."

"And remember. You are the only ones representing your district now. So don't forget that. And we are all rooting for you."

"Thank you so much, Nemo and Brock! When we come back, three very close families and one very dangerous Career."

**Ok, I don't think I can apologize enough for how long it took me to get this chapter up. I had a lot of work this May and June, which was followed by camp, which was then followed by a severe case of Writer's Block. But now, I'm pretty sure that I know how to finish the story, which is good.**

**If any of you guys would be willing to help me out by submitting tributes for The Capitol Games, I would greatly appreciate it. This way, I can give you guys another awesome story that will hopefully not be as hard for me to write. And, don't worry, it will be awesome. I already have a nearly developed arena!**

**The interviews are always the hardest part for me, so hopefully I'll be able to get another interview chapter up soon. Again, I am so sorry this took me so long! **

**All the best, **

**-goldie031**


	50. Interlude: Day 7 Preparations

Amethyst Emerald turned away from the TV. The interviews seemed to be going well. But less could be said for the Gamemakers' Complex. Everyone was running around trying to get the Day 7 twist together. It was a massive effort on everyone's part to get this together. Amethyst was running around more than anyone else trying to make sure that everything was going according to plan.

"Amethyst, at 8:30 PM, all tributes are still asleep," reported Sami Rolo.

"Thanks, Sami. Sparkles! Is everything ready?"

"Almost. The last little bit is falling into place. Zeus tells me that everything is going well."

"Good. Now, remember, we need the 6 rooms underneath to be ready as well. And ready at all times."

"Yes."

Amethyst headed over to the sponsor station, near Daria. "Do me a favor, Daria. Pull up the sponsor comparison."

"Yes, Amethyst. Of course."

"AMETHYST!"

"Oh, no, said Daria. "That can't be good."

"Yes, Ruby?" Amethyst was seriously getting tired of her younger sister.

"When I said deal with the dead tributes, I did not mean tie them to existing tributes. I MEANT KILL THEM."

"Whoa, calm down. I can deal with this."

"Good."

Ruby stormed out.

"Hey, Amethyst?"

"Yes, Daria."

"We have a connection to the locket, if you need. It's standard for all non-edible sponsor gifts now, thanks to President Snow."

"No, I don't think that will be necessary. I want to use Alain's simulator environment to our advantage. Some people say that if you dream that you die, you die. So, we want to simulate someone killing her."

"Right. And why does that work?"

"It's psychological."

"So what about Lisa?"

"Well, I think that it might be good to leave her alone. But we can also tell her that the simulator tube malfunctioned."

"That might work. But who is controlling the simulator?"

"Well. Appolian developed it, but Jade is watching it."

"Oh."

Daria began to plug in some numbers. A paper printed out. "The sponsor comparison, Amethyst."

"Thanks."

Amethyst ran over to Appolian's station. He was standing on a metal table.

"Hey, Amethyst. Good timing. This mutt was just about to eat me," said Appolian.

"Which mutt?" asked Amethyst.

"The invisible one I was developing," confessed Appolian.

Amethyst shook her head and pulled a lever. A roar could be heard.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Appolian."

"Now, what's going on? Why are you here?"

"Well, you developed the simulator technology for Alain, right?"

"Correct."

"Can you manipulate the simulation? I need Alain to think that she's dead, because then she will die. It's a psychological thing."

"All right."

Amethyst ran over to the under-Arena cam. Amber was working on changing the tributes' outfits.

"Good job, Amber!" radioed Amethyst to the Arena.

Amber gave her a thumbs up.

"Mom! The interviews are back on!" yelled Lavender.

"Coming!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, there's a little interlude that I've been planning for a while. The next chapter of the Games is still a little ways away, but I wanted to get you guys excited! I have Day 7 pretty much planned out, except that I don't know who's dying. But I'll figure that out.<strong>

**This chapter does have a lot of references to the other interludes, so it might help to read back the story to remember some of these characters.**

**Also, PLEASE go to my profile. I'm working on another SYOT called The Capitol Games. The form is on my profile, and I would love it if you submitted tributes. Please check it out! And let me know if you want one of the reserved slots, because I can un-reserve it. ****I'll be posting a new poll soon, and I'd really appreciate it if you could answer the question! Thanks guys!**

**So anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will work on getting the last two interview chapters up.**

**-goldie031**


	51. Interviews, Part 3

"Welcome back to the interviews! Now, let's welcome on stage the family and friend of Fallen and Leia Dean!"

Fallen's mother and father came on stage. Both were dressed very plainly, a contrast to the glitz and glamour of the earlier, Career district families.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Dean, and Devon. It is so good to have you all here."

"It's good to be here. It is so much fancier here than it is in District 6," said Leia's father. "And please, call me George and my wife Sola."

"Of course. From what I've been told, you are all very close, correct?"

"Fallen and Leia have a very special bond," answered Sola. "George and I were really blessed to have two kids that get along so well. Our job as parents was simply to care for them; we didn't really have to do anything else for them."

"Devon, how did you fit into the picture?"

"I was Fallen's best friend. We are in the same grade at school. I was his reprieve from Leia."

"From Leia?" Caesar inquired.

"Leia is a great little girl. She is sweet, understanding, and sensitive. But she is also very shy and introverted. So she would hang around Fallen a lot, and hide behind his leg whenever anyone or anything scary came. Now, Leia was pretty comfortable around me, even though I wasn't a member of her family, because I was around so much. During school hours when the two were separated, Fallen would lament to me about his sister. He felt that she was dependent on him. I kept telling him, she will grow out of it. But then..."

"George, Fallen and Leia are seven years apart. How do you think that affected the relationship of the two?"

"I think that Leia looked up to Fallen. She was emotionally connected to him in many ways, as siblings are. The problem is, if you feel too much of a connection to someone, you will do anything to be with them.

"So I see that we are all chomping at the bit. Let's talk about the reaping. Now, I think that we can all agree that nobody expected Leia to volunteer."

"I just do not understand the logic of that 9-year-old girl. WHY do you volunteer as a 9-year-old when you have your whole life ahead of you?" exclaimed George. "And even worse, why do you volunteer with no training whatsoever? I can sort of understand the logic of Goldstar, that little girl from One. She has training. Leia has no training. Nothing. Zip. Zap. Nada. To put it simply, she was an idiot."

"So you don't see a motive for Leia at all, George. Sola?"

She sighed. "Leia. I had a bad feeling about her once Fallen was reaped. She is so devoted to him. I know that she would give her life for him, Games or no Games. The problem is, little girls like Leia don't always understand that you sometimes have to put your own life and safety ahead of the lives of the people you care about. If she hadn't volunteered, she would have been miserable, but her life would have gone on. Now, I don't know if her life will."

"Devon?"

"I don't know Leia as well as her parents. So I can't say, oh, this is definitely what would have happened if things had gone differently. What I can say is that I know how devoted Leia is to Fallen. If there was ever an example of unconditional love, it is the way that she looks up to and respects, if not worships, him. For someone to lose something that they hold so dear, it's hard."

"What have you thought of their Games so far?"

"Well, the biggest thing was that sibling challenge thing. It was weird," said Sola.

George agreed: "I don't understand what the point of that was. But in terms of the Gamemakers knowing the tributes, they hit the nail on the head for Fallen and Leia's punishment."

"Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"If I could send them a message," offered George, "it would keep shelter in mind. Stay together, because you have an alliance, and don't challenge the Careers. It never ends well."

"Thank you three so much for being here. It was a pleasure."

* * *

><p>"Now, please welcome the family and friend of District 7's lone representative, Shine Scott."<p>

Three men came onto the stage. The cheers from the audience wavered - all three looked very imposing, but were very hot!

"Welcome, Dezz, Mr. and Mr. Scott."

"Please," said Shine's father, "call me Marble, and call my son Scott."

"Really?! Your name is Scott Scott?"

"Yes," replied Scott. "My parents thought that it would be cute to name me Scott Scott. My friends at school... Not so much."

"So let's talk about Shine, Marble. She was born in One, correct?"

"Yes. We moved from One to Seven 6 years ago, when Shine was 12."

"Did she train?"

"Yeah. Shine was doing surprisingly well in the Academy. Better than average - a girl that would have been intensely training for the Games when she turned 12 or 13."

"And, if I'm not mistaken, you have a connection to the families of both District 1 female tributes."

"That is correct. Sparkle DeFontaine's older sister, Emerald, was Shine's first training partner. They were so cute! When they were about 6, their trainer gave them foam swords with which to practice sword fighting. The result was Shine chasing Emerald around the room, bopping her on her head with a sword." The audience laughed. "At age 9, Shine began a second training course, this one a bit more intense. She was paired up with Tyranny Bomber, who was 8 at the time. She still trained with Emerald in her other course, though."

"Scott, did you train?"

"Naturally," Scott scoffed. "Only in extreme cases would someone from One not train."

"Why did you guys move to Seven? It sounds like you had a good life in One."

"I was relocated as a Peacekeeper to Seven six years ago. I had the option to leave my kids in One and go to Seven, but I wanted to keep my eye on them. So we moved when Shine was 12 and Scott was 16."

"Did Shine continue to train?"

"Yes. I tried to train Shine and Scott at the same time, but it really didn't work. I was too stressed and having too much trouble trying to train two of them at once. So, in the interest of getting a Victor in our family, Scott and I decided to join forces to train Shine."

"Dezz, what was your relationship with Shine?"

"I became friends with Shine after she moved here. We are both fearless, so neither of us is really scared of anything. It's fun. She sometimes would invite me to train with her, but I was PAINFULLY behind. She could kick my butt."

"Let's switch gears now and talk about the Games. Shine has done pretty well so far."

"Yes. I was a little bit underwhelmed by her training score - she should have had a 10," said Marble. "But other than that, I am very proud of my daughter."

"Scott? What surprised you most about these Games?"

"That little brat from 5. Cyei All. How the hell did he manage to get 12 kills? I mean, Shine had.. 8, 9 kills? Cyei had 12. And he wasn't even trained."

Scott looked like he was about to explode. Thankfully, the buzzer sounded at that point.

"Thank you, Dezz, Scott, and Marble!"

The three left the stage. Caesar could not have been more relieved.

* * *

><p>"Now, we welcome the parents of the Brown siblings. Please welcome Juile and Ray Brown!"<p>

The two came on stage. There was some confusion on the crowd - where was adorable little Holly?

Caesar sensed the audience's confusion, and explained, "Because Holly is still technically in the Games, she is not allowed to see her parents. So, her parents alone will be at this interview. Plus, we've already heard from her in the interview we held a few days ago! Now, onto the parents. Juile, Ray, how are you?"

"Good," Juile sighed. "A little stressed, but good."

"So let's talk about your kids. I'm going to venture that there is a positive relationship?"

"Yes," said Ray. "We are very lucky that all of our kids have a positive relationship with each other. Especially when Holly was born. They all pitched in to help out with her. She was unplanned, but we were excited at the prospect of having another child."

"Were you surprised that they were all reaped?"

"Yes. I honestly expected one, or maybe two. But all four? Only Alex even took out any tesserae ever."

"But," interjected Juile, "I knew that they would all help protect each other. Alex is a great big brother in that regard. And Holly is so adorable and innocent that I knew her siblings would do everything in their power to get her out."

"So you must have been thrilled that she was the first tribute to be saved from the Games."

"Yes, we were absolutely thrilled. We honestly weren't sure if any of our kids would get out, but the fact that she did makes us so happy and grateful. I can't wait to see her in a few days."

"It's going to be hard to explain things to her if one her siblings passes," mused Ray.

"Now, Holly will not be counted as a Victor. And she still has the prospect of being reaped once she turns 14. Does this worry you?"

"It's too far in advance to think about that," said Juile firmly, clearly refusing to discuss the subject further.

"What do you think has been the biggest advantage your kids have had?"

"I think," said Juile, looking at her husband, "the idea of teamwork. Growing up in such a big house makes it a requirement to be able to work together, so joining with four other people wasn't a big problem."

Ray added, "Remember that none of the kids on the brown team were Careers. So they really had to work together to stay alive for as long as they could. And they didn't do too badly!"

"If there is one piece of advice that you could give your kids as a whole, what would it be?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing, I think," said Juile. "Whatever their strategy has been, it's clearly working."

"And remember," finished Ray, "that all of your friends are rooting for you back home, and we all want you to come back soon!"

"That's great. Thank you, Ray and Juile!"

* * *

><p>"Our next interview is a bit of an atypical one, which combines two families from separate districts. So please welcome the families of Trinity and Marianne Belle!"<p>

A crowd of people come on stage - Trinity's mother and siblings, and Marianne's parents and brother.

"Welcome, everyone. Can you all squeeze onto the couch? No? Ok, I guess the little ones are ok on the floor. Thank you all for making the schlep. I'm sure you're glad to see your family, though."

"Yes. Delilah and I don't get to see each other that much," said Cady. "So even in these not-so-great circumstances, it's great to see my sister."

"So your little ones are probably just meeting each other for the first time, right?"

"Correct," said Delilah. "Marianne and Trinity had met each other once before the Games, when my husband passed away. Cady brought Mari to 8 to grieve with me. That was about 7 years ago. I was pregnant with Cobalt when my husband died. And so Cobalt and Jack have never actually met. But they have seen pictures of each other. I make sure to send pictures of my family to 11 for Jack to see, and Cady sends pictures to me."

"And Paris, you have a little girl, right"

"Yes. She is very good friends with her auntie Trinity."

"Let's talk a bit about the Reapings. So Marianne found out that Trinity would be in the Games right after her reaping, correct?"

"Yes," said Milo, Marianne's father. "She told us during her goodbyes."

"So Delilah, you didn't find out until later on, during the reaping recap later that night."

"Correct."

"Honestly," Cady interjected, "it's kind of good that they ended up in the Games together. Because they have been really good about protecting each other. Alone, they would have been lost. But together they are stronger."

"Now, they had a fairly young team, in terms of the younger half. Darren, Dek, Trinity and Marianne."

"That's not so bad, though," said Milo. "It keeps them all comfortable."

"And your kids were in the blue-white alliance. Do you think that was a good idea, or a bad one?"

"I don't think it was a bad idea, especially because white was a stronger team. But sometimes an alliance can be problematic."

"So let's move to the sibling challenge. Their challenge wasn't inherently hard, but it did cause some problems. Agree?"

"Agree," confirmed Cady. "We were really nervous for Mari when she pulled her hamstring. But she pulled through."

"And then there was the five-team alliance."

"Now that might not have been smart. I think that was just a disaster waiting to happen. With so many people coming from so many different circumstances and so many different strategies, if they had kept going for any longer, things could have gone very badly."

"Last question. If you could give any advice to your girls, what would it be?"

"Be careful and stay safe," said Delilah.

"Look out for each other," answered Cady.

"Stay alive," said Milo.

"That is great. Thanks so much to you all for coming!"

The Belle clan trooped offstage.

"Coming up," said Caesar, "our final set of interviews. Join us after the break!"

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you guys liked this chapter, because it was long overdue! I'm so sorry that I've kept you waiting for so long, but as I've said many times, interviews are not my favorite thing to write. Thankfully, we only have one more interview chapter to go, and then we go back into Games action! And I have quite a plot planned for you guys! I'm so excited for you to read it.<strong>

**Anyway, please reread the rest of the story, and review this chapter! There are discrepancies that I'm going to work on, but I only have so much time to do so. Also, if you guys could check out my other story, The Capitol Games, I'd really appreciate it! I need a lot of tributes for that SYOT.**

**Again, I'm so sorry about the long wait, but I can't wait to work on this story more!**

**-goldie031**


	52. Interviews Part 4

"Welcome back to our final interview segment! Now, let's welcome the many siblings of Maybell Flince!"

A troop of younger kids came on stage with Alex Robinson, the District 9 escort. He helps situate them on the couch, takes the baby from the arms of the oldest of the kids, and leave the stage.

"Hi, friends! Welcome! How are all of you?"

"We're fine!" exclaimed Minnie. "We miss Maybell, though."

"She took care of you all, right?"

"Maybell was like our mommy after Mommy died," said Marc, Minnie's twin.

"Do you miss your mommy and daddy?"

"Yes," answered Silvie. "Taking care of Sunny is really hard without a mommy. And Maybell was a great mommy."

"So have you guys watched her the whole way?"

"She looked really pretty on the chariot! And we were very proud of her 6," said Minnie.

"What was the 6 for?" Marc asked his twin.

"I dunno," replied Minnie.

"But we want her back," said Marc.

"Well thank you, Marc and Minnie. Can you guys go back offstage? Thanks so much! Marc and Minnie Flince!"

"Glad we got rid of them," said Graham. "They haven't watched any of the Games yet on TV, so now we can talk like adults."

"Silvie, how much have you watched?"

"All of it, this year. I was just too nervous for Maybell not to watch."

"What is life like at home without Maybell?"

"Graham was kind of like the daddy already," said Sylvie, "so I just became like the mommy. I took Maybell's place."

"During the Games, Maybell was on the pink team, and she had a fairly uneventful Games compared to some of the other tributes."

"In my opinion," said Graham, "she was put on the perfect team for her. With all of the innocent younger siblings, she must have felt right at home."

"And Lambell and Xander were so cute together," added Sylvie. "I just love little kids who think they are in love who don't actually know what love is."

"And you know what love is?" laughed Caesar.

"Yes, I do." replied Sylvie indignantly. "Mommy and Daddy were very much in love. So I know what love is supposed to be like."

The audience was stunned by the maturity of Sylvie's response.

"I'm going to ask you two a very mature question, because I think you two can handle it. Obviously you want Maybell to come back. But do you think she can?"

"We sure as heck hope so," answered Graham.

"Thanks very much, you two. We are so glad you came out here to talk with us. Ladies and gentlemen, Graham and Sylvie Flince!"

The two left the stage, hand-in-hand, to thunderous applause.

* * *

><p>"Next, please welcome the family and friends of Conall Carteiar!"<p>

Conall's mother, father, brother and sister came on stage, in addition to his friend group and his girlfriend.

"Welcome, all of you," said Caesar. "There are a lot of you, and we'll try to talk to you all, but we expect that some of you will speak more than others."

Most of the collective groupe nodded, with the exception of little Sammy. "But I want to talk!" she complained.

"So let's talk to you first, my little friend! Do you miss Conall?"

"Yes," she said. "He made me promise not to forget him. And I am not going to go back on my promise."

"Did he take care of you a lot?"

"That was Mommy's job. Conall worked in the fields with Daddy, Jason, and all of the other guys in the district."

"OK, thank you so much, Sammy! You can run along now."

Sammy ran offstage, allowing the older people to discuss real matters.

"So Conall volunteered in place of you, correct, Jason?"

"Yes. I am, honestly, glad that he did. Not because I don't love him, but because I think I would have fared much worse in the Games. He has a chance of coming back. I wouldn't have had that chance."

"I'm very worried about Conall," said his mother. "I have been since Jason's name was drawn. He can be a little bit bold, and what he thinks is himself being a leader can come across as bossy."

"Thomas, Jack, and Randolf, did you think Conall volunteering was a good idea?"

"No," said Jack.

"I can understand why he did it, but I don't like it," added Thomas. Randolf nodded in agreement.

"Ginger? You had what I assume was a very positive relationship with Conall."

"Yes. We were deeply in love - at least, I was deeply in love with Conall. He led me to believe that he was the same. I really appreciated being with him for as long as I was. I don't know if it was smart or stupid that he volunteered - I'm glad that he tried to save Jason, but sometimes you have to look after yourself first," Ginger wisely responded.

"From the televised portions of training, we saw that Conall was very good with spears."

"It was a talent, and one of his main strengths in the Games," answered Conall's father.

"So Conall was on the brown team, which was on the comparatively young and innocent side. Was this good placement?"

"I think it makes a lot of sense," said Randolf. "Conall was great with Jason and Sammy, so putting him with younger kids works."

"I was very impressed that the team managed to keep all of the younger kids alive until Day 5. Aileen died in the Bloodbath, but nobody else was killed until the island."

"It's because Conall and the other older kids had a similar idea - get the little kids out of the Arena alive. And they succeeded with one and failed with two - we have yet to see about Kendyll."

"That sounds highly negative, Thomas," retorted Ginger. "Conall and the rest of his team did very well considering the circumstances. Honestly, I'm more impressed that nobody on brown got killed by Cyei All…"

"If there's anything you could tell Conall, what would it be?"

"Watch your back, and I love you." said Ginger. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all so much for coming! Ladies and gentlemen, the family and friends of Conall Carteiar!"

* * *

><p>"Next up, let's welcome the mother, brother, and sister of Rowena and Viktor Wayland!"<p>

The three walked out to thunderous applause. The crowd was most likely just happy that the interviews were nearly over.

"Welcome, Wolf, Fleur, Mrs. Wayland. It's a pleasure to have you here. Let's jump right into the reaping. So Viktor volunteered for you, Wolf, not knowing that his sister would be reaped next. Do you think he still would have volunteered if Rowena had been reaped first?"

"No," said Wolf. "I honestly think he only volunteered to protect me, but if Rowena had been there before I was reaped, I think he would have trusted her to protect me."

"I disagree," said Fleur. "Rowena can be emotionally unstable at times - her temper causes problems. I don't think Viktor would have trusted Rowena to fully take care of Wolf, so he still would have volunteered."

"Mrs. Wayland," mused Caesar, "I wonder what it must have been like to have all four of your kids in reaping age."

"Hopefully, if one or both of my kids come back, I won't have to be so scared again."

"So let's run through the Games themselves. Your kids were put on a team with two other sets of siblings. Good idea, or bad idea?"

"It would have been much worse if my kids were put with the Hatch twins. The Dean siblings and the Pine twins both got along with their respective sibling, so everyone got along with everyone. And the siblings looked after the other kids, too. I think the team was very well put together."

"The team kept taking losses as well. It was cut in half by day 3!"

"But the rest of the steam has survived," Wolf pointed out.

"Now, the sibling challenge was a little bit unconventional," Caesar admitted. "Fair challenge?"

All 3 Waylands nodded. None of them seemed to have anything more to say, so Caesar moved on.

"Honestly, not much has happened to Viktor and Rowena in the Games," said their mother. "Other than Viktor's kill, it's been pretty uneventful."

"Yes Rowena inadvertently killed Brandi Hahn, who was on his team."

"I was so upset about that!" exclaimed Fleur. "I hate seeing people get hurt in general, but it was especially painful for it to be at the hands of my sister."

"I can't say I was surprised, however," contradicted Wolf. "We have metioned Rowena's temper many, many times today. When Tinny was killed, it set her off again. But why did she aim for a small person? If she were clear-headed, she probably would have gone for an older kid if she had to kill. She really likes younger kids."

"It would be stupid for me to ask you if you want your kids to come back, which, from listening to you talk, I can assume you do. However, I will ask you what you think Viktor and Rowena need to do to win."

'First," said their mother, "they need to stick together. These games are heavily based on alliances, and if they're paired together, they need to stay together. By the same token, they need to be careful about the rest of their alliance. If I were them, I wouldn't trust Goldstar or Shine. Secondly, they need to keep a positive attitude. And third, they can't be too careful. You can never be too careful in these Games."

"That's some excellent advice. Thank you all so much for being here! Ladies and gentlemen, the Waylands!"

The four left the stage to thunderous applause.

* * *

><p>"Now for our final interview, the family and closest friend of Quiinn Jones!"<p>

A large group of people came on stage. They all sat on and around the pitiful-looking couch.

"Let me do names really quick. So Wenda and Dash are the parents, then we have Olleson, Ricka, Ari and Hannass, right?"

"Yes, except we elected to leave Hannass at home with some family members," explained Wenda. "We didn't want to have to deal with having her in the Capitol with us. She just causes too much trouble."

"And Jeremie, Quiinn's best friend."

"Yes, that's me," answered Jeremie. "All of the rest of Quiinn's friends send their love, but there was a lot to do in the orchards back home and the Peacekeepers only let one of us go, and I was selected."

"As I'm sure you know, Quiinn was reaped. This must have come as a big shock."

"Not entirely," said Olleson. "At least, not to me. The older kids in our family have always taken out a lot of tessarae because we have such a big family. It was honestly only a matter of time before one of us was reaped. And after I was out of reaping age, Quiinn took out double tessarae so that Ricka or Ari wouldn't have to."

"But it still came as a shock," retorted Ari. "I mean, he was going to FIGHT to the DEATH! He might not even come back ALIVE!"

"Ari, stop being overdramatic," her father scolded as the audience giggled. "Regardless of how expected or not a given reaping is, it's always a shock because you don't know if the reaped tribute will come back alive. And that's our worry for Quiinn."

"Quiinn was on the yellow team with a very eclectic bunch of tributes."

"It might not have been a great idea to put Marynna and Len on the same team," suggested Jeremie. "They had a solid strategy, though. It paid off fairly well."

"They did fairly well coming out of the Bloodbath and through the rest of the Games. The big turning point, I think, is when Goldstar joined their team."

"That was a bit unusual, but I think it was honestly the best for them. I mean, think about it. Having a true Career can really help a team turn around. Sure, Marynna trained, but when it comes down to Marynna vs. Goldstar, Goldstar wins hands down," Jeremie pointed out.

"But, they really weren't given the opportunity to work together. It's been like one day, and all of a sudden, all 24 remaining tributes get knocked out. I bet there's a major switch coming up. And I don't have any idea what it is," mused Olleson.

"Can one of you explain to me how Quiinn managed to be put in charge of the alliance of tiny Careers?"

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Ari. "Honestly, he didn't have any better place to be, and those four together could be incredibly dangerous if left unsupervised."

"Is there any special message you'd like to send to Quiinn?"

Ricka raised his hand, preparing to speak for the first time. "I love you, Quiinn. Come back to me."

The rest of the family nodded. Nothing could sum up their feelings better.

"Thank you all so much for coming. It was a pleasure!"

The Joneses and Jeremy left the stage.

"We are now done with our interviews! We'll rejoin you tomorrow for the continuation of the 100th Annual Hunger Games! From the Capitol, this is Caesar Flickerman, signing off."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, we did it! We made it through the interviews! Now we can move on to the final segments of the Games themselves. I'm going to warn you - the remainder of the Games is going to look very staged. But I think that the entire Games have been staged to a certain extent, so take that for what it's worth.<strong>

**I'm still planning out about half of the remainder of the Games, so once that's done I'll continue writing. Hopefully that'll be soon. Thank you all for sticking with this story through thick and thin, and I'll do my best to finish the story as strongly as I started it!**

**-goldie031**


	53. Phase 2, Part 1: On The Hunt

**Hi guys! I usually like to put my author's note at the end of the chapter, but I decided to change it up a bit today! Yay!  
><strong>

**So this chapter is the beginning of Phase 2. I have the plot outlined for this whole phase, which is really good! No more writer's block! I'm also testing out the idea of using italics for thoughts, so tell me what you think about that by reviewing, please!  
><strong>

**I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with my story. I know it's been a long process, but I'm hoping it's still worth it. I think my writing has improved since the beginning, so that's a good thing! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p>Shine woke up dazed and confused. It took a minute for her to remember the previous day's events - the giant storm, the chaos in the holding center, and the Cyei All bloodbath. <em>How did I let that happen? That little brat!<em> she thought, before sitting up and checking her surroundings.

She was laying on a beach - _How did I not realize that before?_ - that seemed to curve around to her left and right. Blocking her view in front was a giant expanse of tree silhouettes, barely visible in the pre-dawn light. She stood up and turned around, where a great, jagged, looming shape emerged out of the darkness. The torn flag rippling in the wind clued Shine into the fact that the jagged shape was, in fact, a shipwreck. Looking to the left and to the right, she saw more identical shapes, one on each side before the palm trees cut off her view.

She suddenly realized that her clothes had changed. She was still wearing the same jacket and pants that she had earlier, but her top was now yellow rather than purple. She looked around at the three figures still asleep on the beach - two smaller bodies and one larger one. Clearly, they were supposed to be a team.

Shine groaned. If she was going to win these Games, she couldn't be with a team. Especially not a team with two younger kids on it. _Can I really leave my team alone? Will the Gamemakers allow it?_

_Screw it._

Shine looked around, considering where to go. She decided to head towards the center of the island. As Shine walked towards the center of the island, the sun followed her, bringing a new day, and a new challenge, to the tributes in the Arena.

* * *

><p>The early morning sunbeams pierced Darren's eyelids, and he rolled over face-forward onto the sand. He yawned, effectively getting sand into his mouth. He sat up and quickly brushed it out of his tongue.<p>

"Eew!

"Whoa..."

Darren was entranced by the palm trees. _It's a circle of palm trees! That's so pretty! But there's something past them… what could it be? _

"What was that?" moaned Fallen. He rolled over onto his back, sat up, and noticed the young boy sitting by his side. He thought for a second before he spoke.

"Hey, you're Darren, right?"

"Ya. What's your name?"

"I'm Fallen. I was on the green team before with my sister, Leia. Do you remember me?"

"No," Darren answered honestly. "But now I know who you are!"

"So I guess we're on a team together now," Fallen mused, equating his blue shirt to Darren's.

"Who else is with us?"

Fallen looked to his left, where his sister, Leia, was clenched onto his leg like it was a stuffed animal. "I'm gonna guess Leia is. She's my sister," explained Fallen. He gazed to his right and saw a familiar tribute from District 1. "Maybe Tyranny's the other one on our team? She's a Career, but I'm sure she'll be nice to us." _I hope._

"I hope so. Should we wake them up?"

"Not yet. Here, look!" Fallen gazed out to see, where he saw a bottle bobbing towards the shore in between shipwrecks.

Darren's imagination leapt. He jumped up to get the bottle, not at all afraid to run into the ocean to see if there was anything inside. He was certainly not disappointed when he saw the cork in the neck of the bottle and a rolled-up scroll inside. Darren put all of his power into pulling the cork out of the bottle, but eventually was reduced to asking Fallen for help. It took Fallen all of two seconds to get the cork out, and another three to get the scroll out of the bottle. He gingerly unrolled it and scanned the text.

"Leia, Tyranny, wake up! We got a letter from the Gamemakers. Do you want to hear it?"

Each girl sat up and gingerly rubbed her eyes. Tyranny scanned the island, taking in her surroundings, sized up the other three people sitting around her, rolled her eyes, and then listened to Fallen. Leia, devoted to her brother, would listen to him if he told her to jump off a cliff. She was more than ready to listen to what he told her.

Fallen cleared his throat and began to read.

_Dear Tributes,_

_Welcome to the second stage of the Games. Congratulations on making it to the Top 24! You have now been rearranged into new teams. Each team consists of an older girl, an older boy, a younger girl and a younger boy. _

_Additionally, it should be known that one person from each category will be declared a Victor in these Games._

_As you may have noticed, there are no materials for you to find - no cornucopia, no stockpiling on your ship. In order to find weapons and other materials, you'll need to hunt for them. Each of you will find a backpack in the shipwreck corresponding to your team's color that has some basic food and water supplies. There is also a shovel on the ship. Enclosed in the bottle is a map that will show you the route for your treasure hunt. The route will lead you to spots where you will be able to dig up weapons and will eventually lead you to a treasure that you will certainly want._

_There will be a third and final stage of the Games, which may activate at any time. It will be very obvious when this will happen._

_May the odds be ever in your favor._

_-The Gamemakers_

"A treasure hunt?" Darren breathed, eyes wide with wonder. "THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!"

_So how do I approach this? _thought Tyranny. _I'm going to have to beat 5 other girls to win these Games, two of whom are Careers. I'm going to want to target those Careers first, right? I think that would be the smart way to go, at least, because the untrained weaker tributes are significantly easier for me to beat later on. _

_I wonder if the other Careers are using the same strategy._

"I'm excited for you, Darren," empathized Fallen. "Leia, why don't you and Darren look at the map? I need to talk to Tyranny for a second."

The two younger tributes began playing around with the map and exploring with the map. Meanwhile, Fallen motioned to Tyranny, and the two stood over to the side.

"Look, I know you're a Career. And I know you're gonna want kills. But we need the protection, especially with those little kids on our team. And you need this treasure hunt to get weapons. So we need to figure out a compromise."

"First of all," Tyranny responded, "thanks for recognizing that. I was a bit worried being on a team with little kids, but I'm glad that you understand the whole Career thing. So how about you kind of head the treasure hunt team, and I'll follow along with the team. But I'll stick with you guys and we'll see how things go. From the look of this island, it's pretty big, so maybe we won't run into any other teams."

"What do you think the odds are that we'll run into another team?" asked Fallen.

"Well, I don't know. I'll be more than happy to protect you guys if we need to. But I kind of hope that's not gonna happen."

"But you'll at least stick with us for a little while?"

"I guess so."

"Thank you so much."

"But you get to do all of the talking to the little kids," said Tyranny as the two rejoined their younger counterparts.

"You ready to go?" Fallen asked the younger counterparts. Darren and Leia answered Fallen's question by running towards the jungle. "Wait, guys!" yelled Fallen. "We need to get our materials. Let's go to the blue shipwreck first."

The two ran to the shipwreck and began to look for supplies. Tyranny followed Fallen to the ship.

"How do you put up with Leia and Darren?"

"Well, Leia's my sister. So practice, I guess."

* * *

><p>The red team - Viktor, Rowena, Trinity, and Apollo - were sitting in a circle discussing their new situation. Apollo seemed to see something that none of the rest of the people on his team seemed to understand.<p>

"As a team, we're in big trouble."

"I just don't see what you're talking about, Apollo. We're going to be fine," insisted Viktor.

"Yeah," continued Rowena. "We're good people. Things are gonna work out."

"No, we're not. I just don't know how to prove it to you."

Trinity piped up. "What about the watches on our wrists? They look like the black boxes on the old ships."

Apollo began to fiddle with his watch. "GOT IT." He pulled up a list of teams.

"Red team - that's us. Orange - Alex, Lisa, Kendyll Brown. Goldstar. Career. Yellow - Moss, Shine, Toby, Auden. A whole bunch of Careers. Green - Quiinn, Maybell, Smash and Crash. Two Careers. Blue: Fallen, Leia, Darren. Tyranny. Career. Purple - Conall, Marianne, Mars, and Acacia. Two Careers.

"That's what I was trying to say. Statistically, there are too many Careers left for us to not have one on our team and for there to not be one on every other team."

The two older kids were stunned silent. "You're right, Apollo," said Viktor.

"So what do we do?" asked Trinity.

"Well…"

"I don't think it's smart to try to fight. I think we could hold our own, but I don't think it would be really intelligent to do so," Viktor said, thinking out loud.

"Staying away from everyone else would be intelligent, because then they'll all kill each other, and we'll win," added Rowena. "But it would be super boring to just sit and do nothing for the next couple of days, however long these Games may be."

"We have a treasure hunt to do. That's something," suggested Trinity.

"But that'll get us too close to other teams. And with some of these Careers out there, that could get dangerous."

"I guess the question is, how much of a risk are we willing to take?"

* * *

><p>The sun reached the tops of the trees, bearing straight down on the tributes. The purple team trekked through the ring of palm trees towards the location of the first prize of their treasure hunt. They found themselves in a jungle, with trees that were 30, 40, 50 feet tall. Conall led the way through the jungle with the shovel, with Marianne following close behind. Bringing up the rear were Acacia and Mars, who were discussing strategy. Mars may have been young, but his maturity showed Acacia that he would be a good Career ally to have.<p>

"Look, we have to stick together with the other two. It's our best strategy, because you never know how they could come in handy," said Mars. "And making kills certainly won't hurt."

"But I don't want to be that team who backstabs everyone and that's how they take the win," replied Acacia. "You know, the guerrilla-style warfare. The ones who decide to hide and fire a knife at any random tribute that passes by. That's not who I am."

"So hand-to-hand combat?"

"Yes. That's the best way to do it."

"But I can't do hand-to-hand combat."

"I'm here to help. I can do kills for the most part."

"OK, so how do we get kills then?"

"We kill with honor and dignity. We don't do anything that is too bloody, too destructive. We approach every life as if it were truly a life. But if it comes down to a battle, we fight with every ounce of our being."

"That's fair."

Conall turned around to the Careers. "Hey guys! I think we're approaching our first digging location!"

"Thank goodness," said Marianne. "We've been walking for FOREVER."

"If by forever, you mean an hour and a half, then you're spot on," retorted Mars.

The four walked together for a little bit longer when they came upon a red "X" spray-painted onto the ground. Conall took up the shovel and began to dig up whatever lay underneath. After a little digging, he pulled out a chest. Acacia sucked in her breath - because this chest was on the smaller side, there was no way that this could be a sword or anything that would really help with hand-to-hand combat. And when Conall opened it up, Acacia knew that the contents of the chest were the exact things that would put the biggest wrench in her and Mars's plan.

Six throwing knives.

* * *

><p>The sun passed over the trees and began to set to the west. It had been at least 6 hours since sunrise, and Goldstar was more than fed up with her teammates. She had been put together on a team with the three Brown siblings. They were nice, but way too passive. They would be more than happy to sit in a circle on a beach around a campfire and sing Kumbaya. Goldstar, however, felt that she would need to be active in order to with the Games. Goldstar needed an ally - a stronger ally - a Career.<p>

_Can I leave them? After all, they can protect each other._ Goldstar had been able to sense the fear of her that the Browns had, even though she'd told them a zillion times that no, she wouldn't try to kill them. She felt like they were shutting her out, only talking to each other and not to her. And what had her team done today? Walked. Tried and failed to follow the treasure hunt map, but they hadn't even made it off of the beach. And Goldstar had followed them around like a lost puppy. Quite a role reversal for the authoritative queen bee that Goldstar was.

She needed to get away.

_But all four of us can win! If I stay with them, Alex is kind of strong and he can help me kill other tributes and win. _

_But they are weaker tributes. And Careers like Shine target weaker tributes._

"Hey, Brown siblings. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

The three turned around, and Lisa and Kendyll immediately hid behind their brother, who drew a stick - it was the only thing they had that was remotely like a weapon.

"Look, this whole team thing isn't really working. We're just mismatched. I think it would be best for us if we split up."

"Split up?"

"Yeah. I'll just go on my way, and you guys can stay here or go the other way. I'll find another team to work with, or I'll go on my own. Either way, as far as I'm concerned, I'll keep to myself and keep my new team from killing you. Fair?"

The three Browns looked at each other and quickly formed a family huddle. Goldstar could hear whispering from the huddle, but she couldn't make our words. Finally, they broke out from the huddle back into their battle formation. Goldstar was amused by the fact that they thought that Alex could beat her.

"We are perfectly fine with you going your own way, so long as you promise not to harm me or my siblings."

"That's fair," Goldstar replied. She picked up her backpack, and added, "Thank you for being so understanding. May the odds be ever in your favor."

From a bush on the edge of the jungle, Shine's eyes gleamed. Goldstar leaving the Brown siblings made them the perfect target. As Goldstar headed away, and the Brown siblings sat down on the sand, Shine began to formulate a plan of how to kill three birds with one stone.

* * *

><p>"Stay down, Crash! I swear, someone's coming this time!"<p>

"Smash, we've been crouched here for two hours," retorted Crash. "If someone were to come, they would have passed by here a long time ago." He poked his head out of the bush to check his surroundings. He paused, listened closely, and darted back into the bush.

"Yep, someone's coming."

"I told you!" bragged Smash. "Did I not tell you?"

The footsteps quickly turned into a herd of thundering elephants. Seconds later, Quiinn and Maybell dove into the bush, turning their green shirts into more of a brown. Both were breathing heavily.

"Another team is coming. 2 Career and 2 targets," reported Quiinn. "Your best bet is to use guerilla."

"That means long-range," mused Crash. "Smash, long-range is your strength. I think you can get this kill."

Smash nodded. She carefully placed a knife - _thank goodness we found the knives in our first treasure chest _- in her backpack, jumped out of the bush and nimbly scurried up the nearest tree. As she watched carefully, she took the knife out of her backpack and raised it, poised to fire.

_Boy, am I glad that I'm on the green team. My shirt blends in really well with the trees._

Smash crawled towards the end of the tree branch. She craned her neck and saw Conall, with a shovel, coming her way. Her mind began to race - if there were two Careers on his team, she had to hit him on the first try, because there wouldn't be enough time to climb down the tree and get the knife again.

_Idiot! Why didn't I take multiple knives?_

Smash watched Conall carefully. She ready her knife, and saw Conall stop, his back to the tree.

"Hurry up, guys! We have to get moving! I think the next treasure chest is down that way."

_Perfect._

Smash carefully measured the distance between her and Conall. With a flick of her wrist, the knife hit Conall right in the small of his back.

"Conall?" Smash heard Acacia's voice from afar. She snuck back towards the tree trunk. "Are you ok?"

"I don't hear a response. That doesn't seem to be a good sign," said another younger voice, probably Mars's.

"What should we do?" asked Maybell.

The three approached the body.

"Yep, definitely dead," proclaimed Acacia. "And then there were three."

* * *

><p>Goldstar wandered through the jungle. It seemed as though it would never end. Finally, she spotted the right of palm trees that marked the end of the jungle. She emerged, finding herself back on the beach. She looked around, first to her right, and then to her left, where she heard the sounds of a young girl's voice. A young girl whose voice she recognized.<p>

_Oh no. Not Auden. _

_I really don't want to have to deal with being on a team with her, but I'm not sure if I have a choice at this point. I don't know if any other team will take me in. Who else is she with? _Goldstar squinted and caught a glimpse of two boys who looked quite similar, both wearing yellow shirts and blue jackets.

_The Daryas._

_This could have multiple advantages for me, thought Goldstar. I have to beat Auden anyways, and maybe I can get close to her. It's the keep your friends close, and your enemies closer method. I'm gonna have to get rid of Auden at some point, so it might as well be now. Plus, Moss is strong, so if I get on his good side - or a better side than Auden - he might protect me over her._

_Trying to join their team is certainly worth a shot._

Goldstar casually walked over to the members of the team. They were looking at the treasure map from the bottle.

"I think we should go that way," said Toby empathetically, pointing to his left.

"You're wrong. We need to go that way," Auden argued, pointing the other way.

"This way!"

"That way!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Toby! Auden! Calm down. Let's look at the compass." Moss pointed out the compass on the map, and demonstrated to the two younger tributes how to tell the direction based on where the sun sets. Finally, they were headed in the right direction, when Auden caught sight of Goldstar.

"Hey Goldstar!" Auden yelled empathetically. "Come join us!"

_Why is Auden so excited to see me? She knows we're enemies, right? One of us is going to have to kill the other one. And I'm going to kill her first._

"Hey Auden! It's so nice to see you!"

_Why is Goldstar so excited to see me? She knows we're enemies, right? One of us is going to have to kill the other one. And I'm going to kill her first._

_I'm not surprised that Goldstar is friend with Auden, _thought Moss. _After all, they are from the same district._ Looking closer, Moss saw the identical glint of malice in each girl's eye.

"Where is your team, Goldstar?"

"They kicked me out," lied Goldstar. "I need to find another team. Would you be willing to let me join you guys?"

_Keep your enemies closer,_ though Auden.

"Of course! We'll make a great team!"

_I can't wait to kill her,_ thought Goldstar.

* * *

><p>Night fell. The ocean blew a cool breeze over the island, and the anthem played. Only Conall Carteiar's face showed in the sky that night.<p>

Shine Scott, however, was not paying attention to anything around her. She looked in her backpack. _Damn it,_ she thought. _No rope, no duct tape, no weapon. Nothing. Do I have sponsors who can send me the things I need? It's worth a shot._

"A rope, some duct tape, and a knife," whispered Shine. It was only seconds before a parachute landed right outside of her bush. She opened it, and found exactly what she needed.

Shine snuck out of the bush and approached the camp where the Brown siblings had built a fire. Alex and Kendyll were, for some reason, already nearly asleep. _That makes my job much easier._

Shine snuck out of her bush and approached Lisa with the duct tape. She put a piece over Lisa's mouth. Lisa flailed and struggled, but she was quickly overtaken by Shine, who tied Lisa's hands together.

"Now say goodbye to your brothers, Lisa. Because today is the last time you'll see them alive."

Lisa attempted to cry out to warn her brothers, but the duct tape prevented her from making a sound. She watched, her vision consistently blurring, as Shine took out her knife and sneak up towards Alex. Alex woke up and the look in his eyes immediately changed from tired to confused to scared. Before Alex could utter a word, Shine stabbed her knife threw his stomach. He looked up in horror at Shine's thrilled grin, and then saw Lisa's face, tears streaming down in droves.

And that was the last thing he saw.

Lisa could not bear to believe it. Before she could process anything, however, Shine had snuck up to Kendyll. She began by cleaning the knife off on her shirt, turning the yellow into more of an orange. She then readied the knife, but rather than stab Kendyll as she had Alex, she carved a line on Kendyll's arm. She then repeated the process on each limb. Kendyll awoke, and immediately screamed in pain. Lisa had to close her eyes and turn away. She couldn't bear to see her younger brother in such pain. Kendyll's screams echoed in Lisa's brain, etching them into her memory. The screams turned into gulps for air, and then they stopped.

Shine returned to Lisa and ripped the piece of duct tape from her mouth.

"You… you monster…" sobbed Lisa. "Kendyll was only 10… only ten years old…

"Just kill me now."

"You know, I could do that, couldn't I?" sneered Shine. "I could put you out of your misery. Or I could just let you go."

Shine used her knife to saw through the rope linking one of Lisa's hands to the other.

"Go and do as you will," Shine said. Shine then snuck back into the jungle.

Lisa screamed an anguished scream that echoed through the island. All chances of reason went out the window. She was mad, crazed, driven insane by the idea that her brothers were dead, that she would never see them again, and that their murders had occurred in front of her eyes, with no way for her to stop them. She stood up and ran into the forest, hunting, searching for that one specific thing.

She looked for a berry bush, because she knew that the Gamemakers wouldn't put edible berries in the Arena when food was provided. She found the bush and picked a handful of berries. Looking around for the final time, she popped into her mouth, and welcomed death.

But it didn't come.

She grabbed another handful, even trying to check the center to make sure that it was red.

But death did not envelop her.

_Is it possible that I'm immune to nightlock?_


	54. Interlude: Genetics

"Amethyst?"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Is that even possible?"

The Emerald sisters were sitting in Ruby's living room, watching as Lisa stuffed a third handful of nightlock into her mouth and still didn't die.

"I mean, so far, Nightlock has killed every single tribute that has ever eaten it, as far as I know. I can ask Sami to run some stats on that if we want."

"You should also check with someone who knows the Arena to make sure that the bush from which Lisa ate the berries was truly a nightlock bush."

The two sisters headed out of Ruby's suite and returned to the Gamemaker Center. Amethyst was shocked when she entered the room and found nobody at their stations. Rather, everyone was standing up and yelling at everyone else, with Jameson trying and failing to control everyone.

"WHOA!" screamed Amethyst, and all of her Gamemakers immediately ran to sit at their stations. "Jameson, what happened?"

"When Lisa ate the nightlock and didn't die, we were all kind of stunned. Immediately, Arela yelled at Sparkles because, according to Arela, Sparkles is the one who should be responsible for dealing with the plants in the Arena. Sparkles yelled at Zeus, because she claimed the nightlock bush wasn't put onto the island correctly. And then it kind of exploded into everyone taking sides."

"OK. Let's all breathe. There is a chance that this could be a genetic issue. Sami, your computer gives you access to all of the Gamemakers' data from every Games ever, regardless of what was publicized to Panem. I need you to see if what happened to Lisa has ever happened to any other tribute, what the Gamemakers did, and then find any information on that tribute's district and family."

"Got it," nodded Sami before her fingers exploded onto the keyboard.

"Now, let me talk to Sparkles. You log every single plant that went on this island, right?"

"Yes. Every single one. I was sure to log it, because I knew that the tributes would be all over the island."

"Arela, didn't you handle flora/fauna two years ago?"

"Yeah. I also logged everything when I did things."

"Good, so that tells me it's possible. Who is in charge of tribute tracking?"

"I was," replied Max, "but you switched me to challenges for these Games."

Damn it, Amethyst. You reassigned every single important Gamemaker to challenge duty. You should have just dumped all of the challenge stuff on Rocque! Idiot, thought Amethyst, smacking herself in the forehead.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "Everyone except Sami and Sparkles, meeting room. Now. Sami, keep researching. Sparkles, turn on the video camera on your monitor by your station and wait for a signal from the meeting room."

The other Gamemakers headed into the meeting room. Amethyst turned on the giant Arena map first, and then set it up so that Sparkles' video stream was in the top left corner of the monitor. Then, she video-called Luna, who had already started her shift as night guard, and put that stream in the top right.

"Sparkles, can you hear me?"

"Ya."

"Luna?"

"Present."

"OK. So, Luna, has Lisa moved since she put the nightlock in her mouth?"

"She's stayed in the same square of the grid, if that's what you mean."

"And so her tracker would still show that she's there at this point?"

"Yes."

Amethyst checked the map. After a few tense seconds, she sighed.

"There's no questioning. There was only one nightlock bush in that area, and it's right next to where Lisa was just now. So here's what I need now. Zeus, I need a nightlock berry from that bush. Find a way for a ground crew to extract it. When it gets up, we're going to test it to make sure it was a nightlock berry. Meanwhile, we're going to go on the assumption that there is a genetic issue with Lisa. So I need Daria to send Lisa a sponsor gift that includes a spoon that she can eat from, and instruct her to send the spoon back with everything else. We'll test her genetics there."

"Can't we just test Holly?" suggested Jade.

Amethyst paused, and then smiled. "Brilliant. That will allow us to test to see if the hypothetical genetic mutation is spontaneous or familial. We'll have to test the parents and the other siblings as well."

"But how can we prove that it's a mutation?" asked Rocque. "And how can we test Alex and Kendyll if they're dead?"

Amethyst paused and thought for a second. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Jade, Amber. Come with me."

* * *

><p>"Why do we have to do this," moaned Jade. "Can't you get someone else?"<p>

"I need Sami right now, and this is always the job of the youngest Gamemakers. It's a rite of passage. Plus, it's pretty rare that we have to go down there."

"Come on, Jade. We'll be together. It'll be fine."

"OK, I guess I'll go with Amber."

"Good. You know how to get down there, right?"

"Ya. Use the key that you'll give us and press M, right, Amethyst?" confirmed Amber.

"Exactly. Remember, we need a DNA swab from Alex, Kendyll, and Mica Piprick. Hurry up."

The two sisters headed into the elevator. Amber used the key and pressed the M button. The elevator shot down until it opened into a very white and sterile room.

The morgue.

"How do we find the right corpse?" asked Jade."

"They're divided into sections by district. Each is kept in a climate-controlled chamber until right after the Games end so that all of the corpses can be sent to the families at the same time. So the sections for 8 and 10 should hypothetically be near each other, right?"

"Right. Come on."

The two made their way to the section of the morgue for District 8. Armed with cotton swabs and evidence bags, they quickly found the corpses of the two Brown brothers and swabbed each of the boys' cheeks, separating the two swabs into two separate bags. Then, they made their way to the section for District 10 and swabbed Mica's cheek. "After all," Amethyst had explained, "we know that Mica was killed by nightlock. If Lisa's condition is genetic, we should be able to see a difference between Lisa and Mica's DNA."

"Are we done?" asked Jade.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

The two returned to the main complex, where they ran into Athena, the Arena's day guard.

"Where were you two?"

"Amethyst sent us down to the morgue to get DNA samples."

"Oh. In the rush of things, she must have forgotten that we take DNA samples from all the tributes when we inject them with trackers and when they go into the Remake Center."

* * *

><p>Holly Brown had never been more excited.<p>

"WE GET PUDDING TONIGHT?!"

"Yes, Holly," Amethyst replied. "Special pudding for dinner for you, Astrid, and Lucy."

Astrid was skeptical, but she ate the pudding along with the other younger girls. Amethyst then took back the spoons and pudding cups and carefully deposited each spoon into its coordinating evidence bag, prelabeled with the names of each girl.

"Sleep well, girls," said Amethyst, before removing herself from the room and returning to the main complex. She took the samples from Amber and Jade in addition to the spoons and stuck them into the DNA extractor.

"So, now I guess we wait."

* * *

><p><strong>So this took much longer than expected. I was going to add another little section to it, but I decided that I'd add that in later.<strong>

**We're looking at about another 6 or 7 Games chapters. We'll see how it plays out, and then I know exactly where I'm going next. It should be good, we hope.**

**Please, please review! I got no reviews last chapter and it made me really sad.**

**-goldie031  
><strong>


	55. Phase 2, Part 2: That Girl Is Poisoned

Goldstar woke up with a start. The rest of her team was still asleep, and the first streaks of pink and red were just beginning to show up on the deep blue sky. Auden looked so innocent and calm curled up in a ball, and Moss was curled up around Toby, protecting him from any possible harm.

Goldstar attempted to fall back to sleep. She spent half an hour twisting and turning, but to no avail. Finally, she gave up and resigned to the fact that she would definitely still be awake for the rest of the day. Goldstar turned her energy to figuring out how to kill Auden. The two were at direct competition, and the faster that Goldstar could kill Auden, the better for Goldstar.

_On the one hand, I could just get it over with now, thought Goldstar. She's sound asleep, so it would be easy._

But something in Goldstar wanted something more evil. Something that would kill Auden today, but slowly and painfully.

"Poison," she whispered.

"Slow, painful poison."

It was only seconds before a parachute landed at Goldstar's feet. She opened it to find a small glass bottle. After scanning the label, she smiled in the most malicious way imaginable, and set to making breakfast for her teammate.

* * *

><p>"So, Sami, did you have any luck?"<p>

"Yes, actually," replied the young Gamemaker. She sounded proud of herself, excited to share her findings.

"Lay it on me."

"So, there have been two prior instances of a tribute eating nightlock and not dying. The first was in the third Games. District 8 female from one of the wealthiest families. That problem was attributed to it being the first Games with nightlock, and she was the first tribute to try it, so the issue was ignored by the Gamemakers because they believed that there was a problem with the nightlock itself. The second time was the more interesting time. 63rd Games. District 8 female from the poorest family. She was shot by a poison dart with nightlock as the poison. When the assailant realized that nothing happened, said assailant attacked and murdered the D8 female. Nobody really tested anything as a result. The only linking factor between the three is that they're all D8 females."

"All right, thank you, Sami."

"Amethyst, we have a problem," shouted Oceanus.

"What's the matter?" she replied, completely exasperated and exhausted. It had been a long and mainly fruitless night of DNA testing, and Amethyst really couldn't deal with any more problems.

"The approval ratings of these Games just plummeted thanks to Kendyll's murder."

"Wonderful. Hopefully, we'll be able to move to phase three and finish up these Games pretty soon. We're just having many problems, more than I would hope."

"OK. Is there any way I can help?"

"Not really. I just have to wait for the last bits of DNA stuff from Appolian. And the waiting is killing me."

* * *

><p>The sun continued its set path across the sky. Crash Hatch was getting anxious. "Let's move along," he suggested. "I don't think we'll find any other tributes over here."<p>

"Fine," replied Smash. "But we need to be careful."

The members of the green team took off their jackets and stuffed them inside their backpacks. They crouched down next to the brush on the jungle's floor, going very slowly and hoping that nobody would see them.

Maybell Flince's mind began to wander. She thought, "How are my siblings doing? Are they OK without me? Are they safe?"

*SNAP*

"Maybell!" whispered Smash. "Stay down. We don't want to be seen."

But they already had.

Tyranny Bomber happened to be sitting with her team inside the brush by which the Green team was walking. She was a few feet in front of the rest of her team.

"I'm going to try to hit one of them," Tyranny proclaimed. "When you hear the cannon, run like your life depends on it. Don't wait for each other, just run. We'll try to meet up by the shipwreck, OK?"

Leia, Fallen, and Darren nodded. Tyranny snuck forward, following the green team. She shadowed them, moving across the path as they did and staying as close to the green team as she could without being seen.

_So who do I want to hit? I have no competition in any respect from Quiinn. He's not a Career, and he's not even in my age group._

_It could work to take out the Hatch twins. They are pretty strong with each other, but I don't think it would be an intelligent way to do things. Even though Maybell is as strong as a fruit fly, she's one of very few tributes that stand in my way. I think she's my target. _

_Plus, she's the tribute in the back._

Tyranny emerged onto the path, staying behind the green team. She found that they were on a straight path, which seemed to go on for a while. Perfect.

Tyranny readied three throwing knives. For some reason, knives were the only weapon they'd been able to find at all. She fired the three knives right at Maybell. Somehow, all three hit. Maybell wavered, took a step forward, and fainted.

Smash, Crash, and Quiinn turned around to find Maybell on the ground, bleeding everywhere, and Tyranny running down the path at full speed.

"Quiinn, Crash, go get Tyranny. I'll see if I can help Maybell and catch up."

Smash bent down next to Maybell. She took her teammates jacket out of her bag and attempted to stop up the wounds, but they were too deep and there were too many. Smash put down the jacket, took one last look at Maybell, and ran in the direction her teammates had gone.

BOOM!

"There's the cannon. Run!" urged Fallen. He, Leia, and Darren began to run towards the beach. Even though Fallen had grown close to Darren, he chose to throw Leia onto his back. _I feel bad,_ thought Fallen, _but I need to save my sister._

The two quickly pulled far ahead of Darren. "Wait up! Wait for me!" yelled Darren, but Fallen had already pulled too far ahead. Darren tried his best to speed up. Unfortunately, Darren didn't see the tree branch sticking out on the path. He tripped over it, twisted his ankle, and fell to the ground.

Darren tried to stand up, but he fell down each time he tried. The pain was excruciating. It seared through his body, nearly paralyzing him. Darren started to cry. He just wanted to be out of the Games, either home or in heaven. He didn't care, but he was pretty sure about one thing.

_This is how I'm going to die._

* * *

><p>"So which way do we go now?" asked Trinity.<p>

"I'm not quite sure. I think we lost the way a while ago," mused Apollo. "Who has the map?"

"Rowena does," said Viktor.

"Viktor does," argued Rowena.

"No."

"Yes."

"What?"

"Crap."

"OK, so let's just walk and look for a red "X". We've seen orange and yellow ones, but if we have a red one, it's for us," Viktor said as he took the lead of the team.

"Look. Someone is lying there by that bush!" exclaimed Trinity.

The red team approached the bush, where they found Lisa Brown lying there. She had not left her spot next to the bush. If the nightlock didn't kill her, she was going to wait it out. Eventually, her body wouldn't be able to survive.

"Hey Lisa. What's up? Are you OK?" Rowena said soothingly.

"No. Just leave me alone."

"What happened?"

"Shine happened. She…"

Lisa couldn't even finished. She attempted to bury her head in the sand, but completely failed.

"What do we do?" asked Trinity. "We can't just leave her like this."

"I agree," added Apollo. "We should take her in. At least try to help her."

"But…" Rowena was skeptical. Yes, helping Lisa would be the right thing, but she was in direct competition with Lisa. If she could manage to get rid of Lisa, it would be great for her chances.

"Viktor, come here. Can I talk to you?"

"Sure."

The two older tributes stepped away from their younger counterparts.

"What's the problem, Rowena?"

"I don't know if I can deal with having direct competition on my team. I could kill Lisa at any moment."

"Look, let's have some compassion. She's had a tough day. I mean, it's never good to run into Shine. Let's keep her here for a little bit. How long could these Games go on?"

"True. Plus, Shine will probably get both of us anyway."

* * *

><p>Auden was feeling quite lethargic. Something in her didn't feel quite right. She couldn't quite place it, but she felt nauseous and very sick. Her breathing was a bit labored, and her head was killing her.<p>

She decided to look around for a plant or some food, anything that could make her feel better. She wandered away from her team's campsite to the woods. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of something shiny in a bush. She bent down and saw a little glass bottle in the bush next to her.

"Well, that's not supposed to be in the woods," she muttered. "That's littering."

Auden bent down and saw the label of the bottle. One word caught her eye.

"Poison," she whispered.

Auden picked it up attempted to read the writing on the rest of the label. Despite her intelligence, she was unable to read the label. She brought it back to camp and tapped Moss Darya on the shoulder.

"Hey, Auden. What's up?"

"I need some help reading the label of this bottle I found."

"Sure."

Moss took the bottle and scanned the label.

"I'll only read it if you promise me that you won't kill me or Toby when I do."

"Promise."

"Pinky swear?"

Auden rolled her eyes. "Pinky swear."

Moss read, "Poison. One dose taken at breakfast will kill the victim by dinner. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, headaches, dilation of pupils, headaches, and other pain."

Every bone in Auden's little body shuddered with rage. This was not OK. She was feeling the symptoms that were outlined on the bottle. She had been poisoned, and she was going to die.

_If I'm gonna die today, Goldstar is going down with me._

Auden ran back to the campsite, fire in her eyes. She rifled through her and Goldstar's backpacks until she could find the knives. Auden charged to find Goldstar, and immediately stabbed the older girl in the leg.

"Hey, what was that for?" screamed Goldstar.

"I found the poison bottle, genius."

Auden left the first knife in Goldstar's leg, essentially pinning Goldstar to the ground. Auden stabbed once more with a second knife, this time in the arm.

"I should have known not to trust you. We should have never let you stay with us."

Auden had one more knife.

"Say goodbye to everything you know, Goldstar. But first, any last words?"

She stabbed through the heart.

Goldstar looked Auden right in the eyes. She whispered before the world faded in her view, "Rot in hell, b&% !."

BOOM.

* * *

><p>Tyranny finally found the blue shipwreck. She looked around and saw Fallen and Leia coming towards her. Tyranny waved her arms, and Fallen waved back. As they approached, Tyranny shouted.<p>

"I'm glad you guys are safe!"

Fallen waited to reply until he got a bit closer.

"Me too," replied Fallen.

Fallen took a break to catch his breath. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

"Tyranny, does something seem off to you?"

"Yeah But I'm not sure what. Leia, maybe you know?"

"Where's Darren?" wondered Leia.

"Crap. Darren!" exclaimed Fallen. "I was so concerned with getting Leia safe that I totally forgot about him."

"Great," quipped Tyranny. "I'll go back to look for him. Do not move from here."

Tyranny ran back into the jungle. Hopefully, she wasn't too late.

* * *

><p>Acacia had now found herself alone with the two younger tributes on her team, Marianne and Mars. They wandered the jungle for a little longer, until Marianne said, "Hey, Acacia, can we stop for a minute? I need to rest. My hamstring is really hurting me."<p>

The three took a minute and stopped alongside the path.

"Do you think you can keep walking?" asked Tyranny.

"Not really," replied Marianne.

"OK. Let's set up camp here. Mars, stay with Marianne, and see what we have in our packs. I'll go look for supplies to build a fire."

Mars nodded. Acacia walked along the trail, trying to find kindling or wood, or really anything that would be good for a fire. What she didn't expect to find was a giant purple X on the ground. She ran back to the camp, grabbed the shovel without explanation - leaving Mars immensely confused - and returned to the purple X. She shoveled until she uncovered a sword in a sheath. Finally, it's not a knife. She buckled the sheath around her waist and continued walking, deciding not to return the shovel to the camp as it would take too long.

Suddenly, she heard sobbing. She continued in the direction of the sobbing when she came upon Darren Catalyst.

"Hey, Darren. Are you OK?"

"No. I wanna go home, or I wanna go to heaven. My ankle hurts and I don't feel well. I'm done," cried Darren.

Acacia was torn. One side of her didn't want to kill him. On the other hand if she didn't, there was a good chance he'd meet a worse end than what she would do.

"I'm going to help you get to heaven now, OK?"

"OK."

Acacia picked Darren up and went to look for a pretty place. Her request was answered when she came upon a meadow with beautiful flowers. She laid Darren down on the grass, and looked around for a nightlock bush. Once she found one, she picked four berries and returned to Darren.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Thank you for taking care of me," he said. "I'm glad I'll be safe now."

Acacia fed Darren the berries, and waited patiently for the cannon.

BOOM

Acacia sadly got up and looked around. She saw a giant black X in the ground, most likely the final clue of the treasure hunt. Acacia didn't care that they hadn't completed the rest of the treasure hunt - she was digging up whatever lay under that X.

Acacia began to dig. She first came upon another sword, which lay upon a giant treasure chest. But before she could even attempt to dig it up, she heard a scream.

_**"ACACIA ANDALU. WHAT DID YOU DO TO DARREN?"**_

"It's for the best. I killed him with nightlock, so he'd die a more pleasant death than being butchered by Shine or a Hatch twin."

"But he was on my team. And that's not cool. You will pay."

Tyranny caught sight of the sword that Acacia had found and said, "Good-old fashioned sword fight?"

"Not yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at this logically. You and I are both strong Careers, but Shine has been beating everyone these Games. How can we get rid of her?"

"By working together. I think that's the best way."

"Exactly. I know we're in direct competition with each other, but I think right now, we're each the other's best bet."

"Fortunately or unfortunately, that's true."

Suddenly, the two girls heard from behind them an all-too-familiar voice.

"So, do you want to test out getting rid of me? Because I bet you'll both lose."

"Are you good at hand-to-hand?" whispered Acacia.

"Very much so. You?"

"Kind of. I mean, I trained in everything, so…"

"OK. Sounds good."

"Here's my idea. You'll go hand-to-hand with Shine. I'll try to get that treasure chest over there out and find a knife, and I can fire it at Shine. Good?"

"Got it. Let's go."

Tyranny and Acacia drew their swords. They look at each other, nodded, and prepared to fight.

* * *

><p>"I GOT IT!" yelled Appolian. He ran into Amethyst's office, holding up a piece of paper with a lot of writing on it.<p>

"You have the results?!"

"Yes! I don't have all of them, but I have a pretty good idea of what happened."

"Lay it on me."

"OK. So do you know what mitochondrial DNA is?"

"Yes," mused Amethyst. "I think. Isn't that… I have no clue."

"Let me explain," began Appolian. "It is believed that mitochondria were once self-sustaining organisms that joined with another organism as a part of a larger cell. The proof of this is that mitochondria have their own DNA, appropriately called mitochondrial DNA. This DNA is passed from mother to child, only through the mother, because a child receives all of his/her organelles from his/her mother's egg. Follow?"

"Yes."

"OK. So I compared the mitochondrial DNA of Lisa and Holly to that of Mica, Astrid, and Lucy, and I found a marker on Holly and Lisa's that isn't on Mica's or Astrid's or Lucy's. This would explain why the only people that we know to have immunity are D8 females - all three would have the same mitochondrial DNA. But if it was only based on mitochondrial DNA, then there would be way more girls and boys with that immunity. I'm pretty sure that there's a second marker in the regular DNA, but I'm not sure. I won't go into all the differences and similarities between Astrid and Lucy and Mica and Holly and Lisa. Long story short, there has to be a marker on Lisa's genes that isn't on the others'. But I'm still not sure what that marker is. I think we need to find a way to test other tributes that we know are not immune."

Amethyst took a second to think. She needed to process everything that Appolian had told her and think of a solution.

"Hm. Here's an idea. The third stage of the Games is going to be a bracket. Some of the competitions will be physical, and some will be more mentally based. We can have the losers eat nightlock. Does that work?"

"If we swab, yes. I think that's our best bet, at least."

"Amethyst," said Hael Storem cautiously. "Come here."

"What's up, Hael?" asked Amethyst.

"Well, I'm monitoring the Arena, right? And there's about to be a 3-Career battle between Acacia, Tyranny, and Shine."

"So? What do I care?"

"Well, as soon as one of those three dies, we're gonna want to set off the sleep gas to move into brackets."

"Why?"

"Because we'll have exactly four in each category - at least, once that poison works its way through Auden. I'm sure she won't survive the day. Either way, I can't believe how perfectly that ended up."

"OK. Just keep a close eye on everything."

"Got it."

"And if something goes wrong, you're dead."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Shine! Ready to fight?"<p>

"Ready."

The two drew their swords in their left hands. They began to fight fiercely, Tyranny trying her best to prevent Shine from getting to Acacia and Shine doing her best to get there. This way, Acacia had as much time as possible to get that treasure chest out. First, Acacia attempted to pull the chest out of the hole, but it quickly became apparent that the chest was way too big for Acacia to lift. So, she decided to dig around the chest enough so that she could get the lid up and access whatever lay inside.

As Acacia dug, and dirt went everywhere, Tyranny and Shine kept fighting. The two were mostly evenly matched - Tyranny would push Shine all the way to the edge of the jungle, and Shine would push Tyranny all the way back to the treasure chest. This went on for a while, until Shine had Tyranny right next to the hole from the chest, about to fall in.

BOOM

The two were distracted just enough to give Tyranny a minute of relief and for her to regain her footing.

"You know, Shine, there's something I should tell you."

"What?"

"I am not left handed."

Tyranny threw her sword up and caught it in her right hand. She finally was able to drive Shine all the way back, pinning Shine against the tree.

"There's something you should know about me as well, Tyranny."

"Don't say it."

"I am not left-handed either."

"Great."

The swordfight dragged on and on. Neither girl seemed to be able to overpower the other. As soon as one had the other almost beat, the other managed to come back from the brink of defeat.

"How's it going, Acacia?" yelled Tyranny. "Because I could use a little bit of help here."

"I'm working on it," replied Acacia. She was now struggling to reach the lid of the chest from outside of the hole. She knew that getting into the hole and then getting out of it would be nearly impossible. So she kept trying. She was finally able to touch the lid, but she couldn't do anything else.

"Give me two seconds," said Acacia. "I'll be back." Acacia ran into the forest, and after a few seconds, located Mars. "Come with me."

"What? Don't you want me to stay with Marianne?"

"She can handle herself. Come on."

The two ran back towards the center of the Arena. As they approached, Acacia warned Mars, "Don't get your head cut off by a sword."

"Thanks for the advice," quipped Mars.

The two crawled over to the pit. Acacia held on to Mars's feet and commanded, "Crawl into the pit and open the lid of the treasure chest."

"On it. And why am I doing this?"

"Because you love your teammate. Now hurry up."

Mars leaned as far in as he could. "Lower me a bit!" yelled Mars. Acacia obliged, and Mars was finally able to get the lid open.

"You're amazing," gushed Acacia. "What's in the chest?"

Mars scrutinized the chest. "Is there something specific you're looking for?"

"Throwing knives, daggers, knives. Blowdarts in a pinch."

Mars reached into the chest and pulled out a throwing knife. "I found one."

"OK. Is there anywhere in the chest that you can stand without hurting yourself?"

"Yeah. There's actually a pillow in there, for some reason."

"Great. Can you wait in there until I can pull you out? I might call you to get me weapons."

"Fine." Acacia eased Mars onto the pillow. Mars passed Acacia the throwing knife, and she fired it right at Shine.

And missed.

"Damn it. Mars, another knife?"

Mars dug for a minute, and found a second knife. "This one is in a sheath."

Acacia took it from Mars, fired, and missed again.

"Why does Shine keep moving? Mars, just grab all of the knives you can find. Pass them to me one by one."

Three more times, Acacia fired a knife. And three more times, Acacia missed.

"NAARGH!" exclaimed Acacia. If someone from the Career Academy was watching her, it wouldn't be a fair representation of her talent.

"Acacia, breathe. Stress hurts your ability to fire a knife. Can I try one?"

"Sure. How many more knives do we have?"

"I think three."

Mars handed three knives to Acacia. Afterwards, she pulled him out of the hole. Mars locked his eyes on Shine, measured for a minute, and fired his knife at Shine.

"Are you kidding me, Mars. You hit her on the first try."

"Well, I'm just that good!" answered Mars as cockily as he possibly could.

Tyranny looked at Shine. Mars's knife had hit Shine in a way that would incapacitate her, but not kill her. That would be up to Tyranny.

But she couldn't bear to do it. After all, the two had trained together.

"Acacia, come here and switch places with me."

Acacia obliged. She grabbed the sword from Tyranny.

"I'm sorry, but this is just how the game is played."

Acacia stabbed the sword into Shine's heart.

BOOM

As soon as the cannon went off, a white fog rolled into the Arena. Tyranny began to feel exhausted.

_Oh no, not again,_ thought Tyranny as she fell sound asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Deaths Since the Last Anthem:<strong>

**Goldstar McQueen, District 1**

**Auden Walters, District 1**

**Darren Catalyst, District 3**

**Shine Scott, District 7**

**Alex Brown, District 8**

**Kendyll Brown, District 8**

**Maybell Flince, District 9**

* * *

><p><strong>So we've hit the Top 16! And as I'm sure you've guessed, this will not be a normal final stage of the Games! I'm going to do a bracket format - each group of tributes will be seeded 1-4, with the 1 seed playing the 4 seed and the 2 seed playing the 3 seed. Winner of each match moves on to the finals. I'm still figuring out exactly how the bracket stuff is going to work, but I do know that I will not be revealing all of the Victors to you at the end of the bracket stuff! In fact, I will only reveal one. And I think that one will be pretty obvious when you see the brackets.<strong>

**I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to deal with spacing out the bracket chapters, but I'll figure it out. In the meantime, I hope you guys review and vote in the poll on my profile! Thanks so much!**

**See you soon,**

**-goldie031**


	56. Interlude: Bracket-ology

Amethyst Emerald sat at a table in the Gamemaker Complex with her four challenge developers, Rocque, Arela, Maya, and Amber. They were preparing to set up the brackets for the final day of the Games.

"It's amazing that these Games only lasted 9 days," commented Arela.

"Yeah," agreed Maya. "I thought they would last much longer."

"OK, why don't we get started on these brackets?" suggested Amethyst.

"I feel like brackets are a bad idea," said Rocque. "It's gonna look like we're stacking the deck for certain tributes to win."

"A bracket is simply a prediction of what we think is most likely to happen," Amethyst explained. "I think it's more important to seed the tributes based on strength, and then if you want to avoid brackets, we can match up the tributes differently in each category.

"I think the best way to do this is to give each of you a bracket to seed, and then we'll come together to do matchups. So Maya, you'll tackle younger boys. Rocque, take older boys. Arela, older girls. And Amber, that leaves you with younger girls. Make sure to take everything they've done – training scores, kills, challenges, etc. – into account when you seed them, because we can't necessarily change the seeding. And come up with ideas for how to match them up. Go!"

Maya took a piece of paper and began to think about her bracket.

_I think that Crash is definitely the 1 seed. I mean, he's clearly the strongest. He's the most willing to kill. And yet, he and Mars have the same kills. _

_Mars is heavier than Crash, but Crash is taller than Mars._

_Let me just determine that they'll be the first two seeds, and I'll see if I can figure out how to seed Apollo and Toby into the 3 and 4 seeds._

_Is Toby trained? _

_I mean, he's from 4 and his brother is trained. And he has a kill. But he's so timid._

_Let me watch back the sibling challenge footage to see how Toby did._

_Wow, they got 9__th__._

_Ugh, I don't know how to deal with this! As long as I have a clear idea of who will be the first two seeds and who will be the lower 2 seeds, I'm good._

"All right, let's come back together! Amber, what are you going with?"

Amber Emerald had a very clear idea of what was going to happen with her tributes.

"However this goes, Smash is going to win. I mean, she's the only trained tribute and the other three don't know which end of a spear to stab someone with. To seed the rest of them, I thought that Marianne has to be the 4-seed, because she's injured. And Leia is too timid to be the 2-seed, so she has to be the 3-seed. And I guess that puts Trinity at the 2-seed."

"Fine," said Amethyst. "That sounds good."

"Amethyst, why did you give me the easiest bracket?"

"I don't necessarily think it's the easiest bracket. You never know how things will go in the Arena. So let's figure out the matchups here. Amber, any ideas?"

"I forgot we had to match them up!" she answered.

"That's why I gave you the easiest bracket. OK, go for it, peanut gallery."

"I think that we should give Marianne a chance," suggested Rocque. "She might be injured, but that doesn't mean that she's completely out of the Games. The only chance she'll get is if she goes up against Leia."

"OK, that sounds fair," said Amethyst. "Do any of you five object to pitting Leia against Marianne and Smash against Tyranny?"

"No," chorused the Gamemakers.

"Great. Arela. Older Girls."

"OK. So Lisa has no will to fight, and I'm not sure what she'll do. There's nowhere we can seed her other than the 4-seed.

"I think Rowena has potential, but I'm not sure what to do in terms of her training. She's untrained and she's going up against two Careers. So I put her as the third seed.

"Now, the question becomes how to deal with Tyranny and Acacia. I think that they both have very strong training. But I'm not sure how each of them are going to handle their opponents and the pressure. What do you guys think?"

"I think," replied Maya, "we have to seed by training score. And training score wise, Tyranny has a lower score than Acacia. So that's the best way to do things."

"And if we go by kills," added Rocque, "Acacia wins too."

"Plus, Acacia's a bit more mature than Tyranny," finished Amber. "So I guess what we're saying is, put Acacia as the first seed and Tyranny as the second seed."

"Great. So, matchups. Arela, your say has the most weight."

"Let's just do a classic bracket thing," suggested Arela. "First seed plays fourth seed, and second plays third."

"Fine with me," agreed Acacia.

"Maya or Rocque. Who wants to go next?"

"I'll go," volunteered Maya, "Because I need some help."

"OK. Have you started at all?'

"Yeah. I have my first two seeds, and I have my bottom two seeds. But I don't know how to organize them."

"So who do you have on top?"

"Crash and Mars. And Toby and Apollo on the bottom. Do I have to seed them?"

"Well, it's not like the citizens of Panem will know. So let's say that we pair one from the top two with one from the bottom two. Do you care who goes with whom?"

"Can we do it randomly?" suggested Maya. "I think that's the fairest way."

"OK." Amethyst grabbed four slips of paper. She shuffled them behind her back and offered them to Maya. "Pick two," Amethyst commanded. Maya picked two of the slips.

"Crash and Apollo," announced Maya.

"Great. So that leaves Toby against Mars. Rocque, you ready?"

"Yeah. I put Moss as the 1 seed, Viktor as the 2 seed, Quiinn third, and Fallen first. But, I thought it could be cool to seed the one seed and the four seed on a team against the two and three seed."

"That could be cool. OK, great job! Now, let's start brainstorming challenges."

Amethyst sent the other four away, and began to think.

Once she could start the brackets, they could test for nightlock. And if they could figure out what to do to make someone immune to nightlock, Amethyst would be in great shape.

* * *

><p><strong>You didn't think I'd reveal everything now, did you?<br>**

**So, this is kind of what we're looking at for Phase 3. I'm not going to share all of the challenges, but we'll see how it goes! I'm excited! I'll get into a few more details later, probably next chapter, and I still have a few more things to figure out. Hopefully I'll get something out soon for the first bracket!**

**Please review with what you think about the upcoming phase. I promise that it'll be tough, and it'll be fun to read. Also, please vote in the poll on my profile! There are going to be a bunch of them over the next couple of weeks, so keep on checking back in!**

**Thanks so much, and I can't wait for the first bracket to come out. Isn't it kind of ironic that I'm doing all of this bracket stuff right around March Madness?  
><strong>

**Yours,**

**-goldie031**


End file.
